Never Again
by HisLifeWas
Summary: John and Pete AKA Pyro & Colossus. There's love, laughter, carnivals, jealousy and sex. What more could you want? ENJOY! *COMPLETE*
1. What Is It With Americans And Bikes?

_Hey guys! Welcome to my long standing fic, 'Never Again.' It's basically an X-Men Pyro/Colossus fic, but not really set in any one particular universe. There are bits taken from the Ultimates, bits taken from the movies and bits I wanted to put in myself so if you're expecting some kind of total uniververse accuracy you're in the wrong place. _

_This fic however will have some scenes of an adult nature in later chapters so if you're in to that stuff (and let's face it, who isn't?) then stick around!_

_FYI- this fic is undergoing some overhauls. Changes are being made, so if I miss anything out just let me know!  
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_R&R! - HLW x  
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><p>John heard about Northstar's accident approximately four months, three days, two hours and seven minutes ago... More or less. Admittedly he had OD'd about a month before the news made its way down the grapevine, but he felt bad all the same. Pete was his friend, or at least he used to be; and if John was serious about this whole fresh start thing he'd been trying then he had to at least call. This was his Everest. It had taken him over one hundred and fifty days to pluck up the courage to pick up the phone, it was now or never.<p>

Pete was so sick of the way people in the mansion were treating him, they all seemed to skit round him like a little puppy. He didn't need or want their pity; he just wanted normality. Ro was the only one he could talk to without getting those 'I'm so sorry for your loss' glances, and he was thoroughly sick of it. It had been five months, why couldn't people just act like they used to? He groaned and the thought occurred to him, that maybe he should pack up and leave for a while to see if things sort themselves out, maybe with time... His train of thought was cut short as his phone began to ring.

"Hello?"

"Uh... Hey... Pete" he heard the person on the other end of the phone stutter, as if he didn't actually expect him to answer. "It's John." Piotr couldn't help but smile, the man on the other end of the phone seemed nervous, and to the best of his memory John was never nervous, hell John was never anything but angry.

"Hello Pyro." He murmured whilst trying to figure out why on earth he was calling. The mutant known as Pyro had been all but MIA ever since the battle at Alcatraz three years ago, and was presumed dead by the majority of the X-men;

"Well at least we know he's still alive" He murmured as the other man continued his nervous ramblings.

"Um, I'm not Pyro anymore. Well, no, I mean I am Pyro, but I just go by John now; if you don't mind."

"Ok, what you want, John?" he said putting extra emphasis on the last word by letting his thick Russian accent show. He wasn't going to judge John, or write him off as a lost cause; but his past did paint an interesting picture. So instead he moved over to the refrigerator and withdrew a bottle of water, opened it and took a sip.

"Erm, well I was just wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner. You know, catch up?" Pete almost spat his drink out at the suggestion, the two of them out for dinner? _Well I suppose we were friends before all the ugly near apocalyptic stuff kicked in_, he thought weighing up his other options. _It can't be as bad as sitting around here all night._

"Sure, Where?" He muttered, intent on leaving the mansion tonight, at whatever cost. Pete heard a sigh on the other end of the line, he'd probably been holding his breath since 'Hello.'

"How's Dane's, say about nine?"

"Make it eight." Pete was determined to be in control of this situation, he wasn't sure what Pyro was up to; but there had to be something. "If this is some kind of trick I'll snap you in half like pencil, fire boy." John laughed,

"Ok, it's a deal."

Several hours later Pete walked into Dane's and looked around, he was already on guard half expecting some kind of lame ambush. Needless to say he was pleasantly surprised to see a man whom at first he only half recognised sitting in a booth. Alone. John, or at least John for now, smiled waved, and stood up as Pete approached.

"Piotr," he smiled extending a hand as the other man loomed in front of him; a hand which was looked at questionably for several seconds before it was shaken.

"Please call me Pete." He grabbed a menu and began to select his order

"Ok Pete. I know this may seem odd me calling you up like this and asking to meet, but I really just wanted you to know that I'm not the same guy that I used to be, I'm not here to hurt you." Pete nodded, he had heard this too many times before. People pretending to change did not impress him, if John had any hopes of convincing him that he was a new and improved person some evidence would need to be presented. A waitress came over and took their orders. Silence ensued for several painful seconds. "Look Pete, I know this sounds retarded but before all that near extinction stuff we were pretty close and I guess I just wanted to apologise for treating you like shit." Another silence, John knew that Pete was still trying to figure out whether he was legit or not, he couldn't blame him. After all his reputation preceded him.

"Why?" were Pete's only words after deciding to give the other man the benefit of the doubt.

"Why what, why do I want to apologise?"

"No, why did you leave?" The response was almost immediate, John's entire body language changed; his gaze lowered, his eyes sunk, his head bowed and for the first time Pete saw John fidget. He gulped then cleared his throat.

"Ok, that's a fair question I suppose." John's eyes made their way upwards and fixed on Pete's, "are you sure you want to know this?" Pete didn't understand, what could have possibly happened to make John seem anxious four years after the event? Pete nodded. "So, you know how I was always angry whilst at the mansion?" he asked as if it were common knowledge, "Yeah, well there was a reason." He paused and took a deep breath, whatever was about to be reviled was obviously hard for him to talk about. "You see, Bobby and I were sort of a thing when no-one was looking." Peter's expression did not change; it was hard for john to tell if the larger man was registering what was being said. "It started a couple of months after I arrived, we kept it PG y'know a kiss her and here, slowly leading up to make out sessions and the occasional hand job before bed." He smirked, "But it all changed when Rogue arrived. At first I thought it was a good idea, to have one of us engaged in a mild flirtation. Cover our tracks so to speak. But then the lines got all blurry." John's voice was growing thicker with emotion, and despite himself Pete felt a flicker of empathy towards the man. "Bobby started to develop feelings for her, strong feelings that I didn't recognise until it was too late; with hindsight I can tell that he was simply growing frustrated with his inability to touch her, but at the time it just felt like our relationship was progressing. It got to a point just before the school got attacked; Bobby and I made love for the first time." His voice seemed to hitch on the words and he had to choke back the tears, he would not let Pete see him cry.

"So afterwards we were lying in bed and I told Bobby that I loved him, we slept hand in hand and the morning after he wakes me with a kiss." John had to clear his throat several times before continuing. "So we get on with our days and at lunch time he calls everyone together, says he's got an announcement. I get so excited," he scoffs. "I think that he's about to tell everyone about us and tell me that he loves me, that we're officially together, but what does he do? He announced that he and Rouge are officially going steady and that he is 100% 'off the market,' I swear I thought I was going to throw up. Anyways, that night I slept outside, I couldn't face him. Then the night after that I slept on Jubilee's floor and that's where I was when the school got attacked." He forced himself to smile and look at Pete, "Then when we went to Bobby's parent's house and I totally lost it, I mean lost it. I felt so empty. I went on a downwards spiral that only really ended the day after the battle of Alcatraz, after facing off against Bobby I realised that I had no anger left, no more reasons to fight. It wasn't long after that I started a new life, got a job as a manager in a bar and became a volunteer at the homeless shelters around town, even wrote a novel. Magneto eventually got his powers back of course and once he did he came looking for me but I told him I was happy the way I was and that I had no interest in killing anyone anymore." He smiled once more and nodded, "and that's about it." Pete hadn't realised that his mouth was hanging open until the waitress bringing their food had asked him if he was trying to catch flies in that thing. None the less, he was shocked. All of this had gone on right under his nose and he had no idea, _just shows how good of a friend you were_ he mused as John began to take a bite out of his burger. Pete smiled; John had told him the truth. No lies. No silver lining. No pretence. The truth, everything. "So, what's new with you Pete?"

The two talked for hours, just sitting, laughing, and reminiscing. Pete told John about Northstar and in turn John told Pete how he didn't use his powers anymore unless it was an emergency; something about fire making him angry. After a couple of hours it dawned on Pete just how much Pyro had changed, well for a start he wasn't Pyro anymore; he really was John. He had a steady job, an apartment, a new attitude; he even looked healthier. Pete was willing to bet that some of the students at the mansion wouldn't even recognise him now, not that he'd ever want them to by the sounds of things.

"Finish up guys, we're closing in ten!" Came the voice of a waitress somewhere behind someone doing something, John didn't care he was having too much fun; he honestly couldn't remember a time he'd laughed so much. Despite all his expectations about how awkward dinner would be he'd had a blast.

"I think it's time we should get going," Pete smiled as he put his hands on top of John's. Upon contact one eyebrow was raised and john got the message, their friendship had been re-established and all was well again. Pete began to rise and John followed,

"Need a ride back?" Pete nodded,

"That would be nice." John made his way over to the counter and paid the bill, gesturing for the other man to follow him out of the door.

"How much do I owe you?" asked Pete, reaching into his pocket and digging out his wallet. The smaller man shook his head

" 's on me." He muttered whilst rustling through his bag to obtain two helmets, one of which was thrown at Pete with a wink. He groaned,

"What is it with you Americans and Harley's?" John bit his bottom lip as he counted the number of mutants he knew who owned motorcycles, "I guess we just like the wind." No matter how many times Pete, or Colossus for that matter, rode on the back of a motorcycle he still felt like he was going to fall off. He gripped John a little tighter than was strictly necessary, but he didn't seem to mind and besides his hair smelled like Raspberries and Vanilla; Pete had a thing for Raspberries. A few minutes later they arrived at the X mansion; Pete slid off the bike and turned to regard the other man

"I had a really nice time tonight," He smiled, breathed slowly and cocked his head to the side. He had three options: to walk away, to kiss the man, or to do something in between... He chose the latter.

"Yeah me too big guy, me too;" He heard whispered into his ear as he drew John in to a hug. It wasn't X-rated, it wasn't flashy, but at least it was honest.


	2. Carnie Folk and Ferris Wheels

Four days had passed since Pete's none-date, date, non-date, hangout type thing with John and he still couldn't stop smiling. Things had changed since he got back, in four days the barrier of pity that had surrounded Pete for five months had effectively collapsed and everything seemed normal again... Or perhaps it just seemed that way because he was smiling but either way things were looking up. Colossus was out on a mission when John rang the first time, so naturally he was a bit miffed to have missed his call. He did leave a voice message however; Pete raised an eyebrow and pressed the phone against his ear with a grin.

"Hey Pete, it's John." came the voice from inside the phone, "I had a really great time the other night, and was maybe, possibly wondering what your views are on doing it again sometime? I'm free on Saturday if that works for you? Or not, I mean whatever. Anyway, call me." Pate laughed, he couldn't help it. Despite the roaring success of their last meeting John still sounded nervous, it was cute and if nothing else it gave his ego the boost from hell. He pressed three and the phone began to ring._ I wonder if I'll be able to hear johns heart pounding through the phone _thought Pete as the ringing continued.

"Hello?"

"Hi John its Pete, I'm just returning your message."

"Oh hey thanks for calling." Pete was shocked, the other man sounded surprisingly calm. His voice had an air of sophistication and charm that given previous experience was surprising; _he must have practised in the mirror._

"So do you still want to go out on Saturday?"

"Yeah, Sure thing!" replied John perhaps a little faster than strictly necessary, "How's nine o'clock, I'll pick you up outside the mansion?"

"Make it eight," Pete insisted with a slight chuckle "I still have one O'clock curfew." He heard John laughing at the other end of the phone,

"And you're how old?"

"Very funny John but I have it until I'm twenty-one, so until next July I'm under surveillance." The two laughed again and it was settled,

"Ok I'll see you at eight, bye Pete."

"Bye, John."

The Rest of the week seemed to go by so slowly, but John supposed that was always the case when you were looking forward to something. Or someone. When Saturday finally came he found himself ready for his date four hours early. Date, at least he hoped it was a date, it seemed like a date, _I wonder if Pete thinks this is a date? Well he called me back, so this must be a date, unless he just wants to be friends; and in that case... no stop. You're over analysing. If this is a date, it will play out as such, relax. _John sat down and forced himself to breathe deeply in a vain attempt at soothing the ebbing anticipation inside his stomach. Tonight he was taking Pete to his special place; he wanted to share something with him that was his alone to prove that he didn't just want friendship. He wanted something serious. He wanted Pete. The next few hours passed at a painfully slow rate, but by eight o'clock he found himself on his motorcycle waiting outside the mansion he had once called home. He knew one thing for sure he couldn't enter the mansion himself, not with the risk of running into Bobby, so he decided a text would suffice to let the other man know he was here. He pulled out his phone and typed the words 'Hey, I'm outside. Leave your wallet home, this one's on me. J'

_That should do it,_ he thought before his date came strolling towards the gates. John saw Pete look from him to the bike, and back to him again

"You know if this gets serious, you are SO buying a car," said Pete as he closed the gates behind him. _So this is a date_ thought John secretly glad that he wasn't acting like some sexually excited teenager with a crush on a friend.

"Whatever you say big guy," he smiled whilst throwing Pete a helmet. He knew he didn't need one, he was Colossus for fucks sake, but the law was the law and somehow John didn't think 'But my friend can turn into organic steel and is possibly the strongest man alive,' would go down very well with the Cops. Pete put it on and climbed atop the bike gripping John tight as he did so; the smell of Raspberries and Vanilla wafting into his nostrils; he wondered if he had ever told John of his secret turn on or if the man had developed some kind of secondary mutation that allowed him to know dirty little secrets such as that... Pete also wondered if he knew about his kink for leather pants or nipple rings. God he hoped he did.

The ride lasted for about twenty minutes, twenty minutes of having Pete so close to him, touching him, was enough to make John hard. '_Shit!' _thought John as Pete's hands gripped him tighter and moved further down his chest, _'think unsexy thoughts, think unsexy thoughts!'_ so determined not to make a fool of himself he forced his mind to picture the most unsexy thing in the world; the professor in a maids outfit. That was more than enough to quench his growing hard on, '_thank God!' _were the only words he could think when he slid off his motor cycle and wasn't pitching a tent.

"Are we where I think we are?" were Pete's only words when he saw the sight in front of them, John smiled,

"Ok, so I know this may not be the ideal place for a second date... well not date, but date?" His cheeks grew red; it hadn't meant to come out like that. Pete began to laugh but stopped when he realised that John really had no idea what was going on.

"Yes, date." The other man beamed,

"Awesome... Anyway the main reason I brought you here was because this place is pretty special to me, it's where I go whenever I'm sad or happy or annoyed... Basically I'm here a lot." He paused and looked up at the big wheel, "I've never brought anyone here before, so I wanted you to be my first as it were." Pete smiled at that he liked the sentiment; it was comforting after his last relationship.

"Why the carnival?" he asked as John turned his head back towards the taller man,

"I got most of the people here their jobs." He added whilst winking at the admissions man and getting them both hand stamps free of charge, "Thanks Fred ... Do you remember me saying that I help with the homeless?" Pete nodded, "Well, I try my best to get them a job or a place to live, y'know to get them off the streets. Most of the people here know what it's like to be alone so they all look out for each other, like a family. It helps to remind me that there's still some good left in the world." That was when it hit Pete, after leaving the mansion and later brotherhood John had been completely alone, with no friends or relatives John had delved into his work, in the process finding solace within societies less fortunate. These people were his family. A twinge of sympathy crept over the Russian, he knew it was wrong to judge but the thought of John's only companions being bums and carnies was somehow wrong.

"Come on," He smiled grabbing Pete's hand and pulling him to their left; "let's go ride the tea cups!"

Peter was astounded by just how well John seemed to know every single booth operator within the fair; they were all on a first name basis and treated Pete, as a guest of john, with the upmost courtesy... Which at a carnival meant free rides and chilli dogs. They had been flitting from ride to ride for the best part of two hours until it looked like it was closing time. John led his date over to the Big wheel and whispered something to the operator who then turned to Pete, smiled and said "Anything for John." The carnie pulled out a sign reading 'Big Wheel closed, try the Tilta Hurl,' and stuck it into the ground in front of them. Winking at the men he escorted them to the ride, sat them down and pulled on the security bar.

"Romantic Ferris Wheel for two?" laughed John as Pete put his arm around the smaller man, "It's not expensive but it's one hell of a view."

"Sure is." Pete pulled his date closer and slid his free arm around his waist.

"Pete..." whispered John as if he were afraid to speak else he ruin the moment,

"Yes?"

"I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate how hard this must be for you. I mean I like you a lot but if people at the mansion find out..."

"Don't worry about the mansion," he soothed as john looked up at him. "You are a good man John, a very good man and if they can't see it then that's their problem; not yours." Instantly deciding to seize the moment he lowered his neck and lightly pressed his lips against the other man's. Feeling John return his kiss he gripped him tightly before he pulled away and heard the words

"Finally, I thought that would never happen!" John smiled and moved further into Pete's arms; "You're sure about this?"

"What do you think?" he winked before kissing the man again. At first the kiss was cautious and exploratory, but when John slid his hand through Peter's hair it became harder; more passionate. John felt Pete's lips open slightly and he took it as an invitation to explore, sliding in his tongue and moaning.

The pair sat atop the Big Wheel for what felt like an eternity. For a moment John considered his life it seemed that despite himself, he was actually happy. He had worked for so long to make amends to society for the way he had acted when he was with the brotherhood, for the things he'd done, for the people he'd killed. Well he'd never actually killed anyone he'd just stood there and watched, but that was just as bad; he still saw their faces every once in a while, he'd hear their screams and pleas only to be silenced by the cruel hand of Magneto. He awoke crying every single time. Every single time.

It was, he supposed, a way of life to regret the things one has done but have absolutely no way to reverse them or even to ebb the flow of time and further reflect upon why one chose that specific course of action to begin with. It stung however to know that no matter what happened there was no going back, no way to make apologise for all the pain, for all the hurt the sorrow and the lies. All one can do is live in the present, make each day count and chip away the mountain of distrust until you are left with an empty hollow shell of your past regrets and nothing less than a life time off happiness to look forward to. The only way to make amends for your faults is to pay your respects to the past and move with the future. Any maybe if you're lucky, really lucky, you'll have someone there to love you, No matter what.

"What are you thinking about?" murmured Pete on what seemed like their fifty sixth minute in each other's arms.

"You, me, this place..." _And some other cheesy shit that can go in my next novel._

"How cryptic," Laughed Pete whist John whistled and the ride slowly began to descend.

"So what do you think of my little safety nest?" Pete considered his words carefully, the place was nice enough if not a little low brow, but he didn't want John to think the meaningful gesture was unappreciated or that he thought John could do better than bums and carnies. _Geez, when did I become so judgmental?_ _Living in a mansion must have rubbed off on me_. Pete winced at the thought and resolved to change, finally saying "It's lovely" without seeming too sarcastic. John raised an eyebrow and held out his hand to assist his date off the ride.

"Don't worry we don't have to come back, I know it sounds corny but I just wanted you to know." The Russian smiled he had liked the date all in all; the Ferris wheel was a particularly nice touch.

"Don't worry I liked it, really." Smirking to himself John led his date back to the motorcycle and saw him cringe once again at the sight of the thing.

"You really don't like them do you?" Pete shook his head then added

"But I'll manage, I get to hold on to you so I suppose it's not all that bad."

"Just hold on tight Pete, I won't let you fall!" Mocked John dramatically, putting one hand to his head and using the other to hold the handlebars as his slid onto the bike.

"I liked it better when you were nervous," growled the Russian hopping on behind John once again being pleasantly surprised by the smell of Raspberries and Vanilla.

"I was never nervous, just... Cautious,"

"Sure John and I'm a five foot two Polak named Harry." The pair laughed and sped back towards the mansion, ever conscious of time Pete realised that he only had ten minutes till curfew so he leaned forward and asked against all his better judgement is John could speed things along. In response, John rev'd the engine and they arrived at the mansion with time to spare. Pete slid off the motorbike, his legs shaking slightly beneath him. He should never have asked John to go faster. He took off his helmet and turned to face his date,

"Same time next week?" A smile lit up across the man's face as he stepped off his bike and drew Pete into yet another amazing kiss.

"You can bet your ass on it," he growled into Pete's ear before taking the liberty of sliding his hands over the Russian's bum. John felt Pete's breath catch in his stomach and kissed him again… feeling something hard brush up against his thigh several moments later however he thought it best to call it a night. "Goodnight, Pete."

"Night, John."


	3. Let The Fun Begin

_Hey guys! it's me again. Just adding a quick note whilst I edit this stuff. _

_So- In this fic, I've given John a working age of 23 whilst Pete is 20. In the four years they didn't see each other John got a job, an apartment and an advanced Degree in English. He's like uber clever. John's powers were also brought on at a really young age by an abusive father and he was living on the streets of Australia as a pick pocket, prostitute mini-badman until he was taken in. _

_Pete on the otherhand, spent his time not doing much, and generally just fucking around a mansion with northstar until he OD'd. _

_Huh... how's that for a bit of Post Hoc background? WINNING!_

_Anyways, now back to the story! HLW x_

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><p>Three weeks passed, as did three more dates. Personally, Pete counted the last date as number five, six, seven, eight and nine because they'd been to an early movie, an amusements arcade, an art museum, for dinner and ended up drinking champagne on the beach all in one day. Today was date number six. Or ten, I you looked at it like Pete. Contemplating just how well the night would end after last week's make out session which ended with Pete receiving a mind-blowing blowjob on the waterfront, he was optimistic.<p>

"Hey Pete," Came the voice of the man he'd been effectively trying to avoid since John had told him about their history.

"Bobby."

"A bunch of us are going out tonight if you want to join us?" His voice sounded hopeful but Pete didn't care, he knew it was wrong of him to judge Bobby but he couldn't help it. He had broken John's heart.

"No." The answer was simple, there was no need for discussion.

"Are you sure, I mean you never seem to be here on Saturdays any more. Last week we were all going to go out, but you weren't here so we decided against it. Where've you been sneaking off to?"

"Date."

"Really, who's the lucky guy?" Pete sighed, he didn't want to get in to this now. He promised John that wouldn't tell Bobby that he was the reason for his departure but it just didn't seem fair that the boy could act like such a tool and get to keep everything he had whilst John had been provoked by Bobby's actions had lost everything. Bobby and Rogue had broken up over a year ago; it didn't last long once Bobby wanted sex that Rogue just couldn't provide. '_He really should know what he did to John' _thought Pete_,_ '_how much he hurt him and for what,_ _a cheap high school relationship that lasted all of six months before Bobbies wondering eye caught sight of the nearest thing that moved and fucked it into oblivion? _Remembering Bobby's various infidelities and the students trying to cover it up so Rogue didn't find out Pete frowned. He watched Bobby move over to the cupboards, taking a glass before filling it up with water and blowing on it to freeze the sides.

"Just a guy." He would not lie if Bobby asked directly, but at the same time he wouldn't volunteer any unnecessary information.

"Anyone I know?" Could this guy not take a hint? He very clearly did not want to talk about this.

"Yes."

"Who?" Pete sighed; it was going to come out eventually so he may as well just get it over with.

"John."

"John, John who?"

"Allerdyce." Bobbies eyes widened and his glass hit the floor with a smash,

"John... John as in my John, as in Pyro?" Pete scoffed,

"From what he tells me, he has not been _your _John in quite some time. Do you have a problem with this?" His eyes dared Bobby to challenge him, he wanted to tell Bobby everything, how he had hurt John, all the pain he had caused. Everything.

"You're damn right I have a problem with this you're dating a villain, he attacked us for fucks sake!"

"Ohh grow up Bobby we're the X-men everybody attacks us; and besides John doesn't even use his powers anymore."

"Bullshit, I bet he's still torching anything that moves. Fucking Psychopath."

"Don't you dare take about him like that not after what you did to him, and yes he told me everything." Bobby raised his eyebrow and laughed,

"Ohh I get it so you're horny and he's a good fuck is that it? I mean that guy sure knows how to suck dick doesn't he, takes it like a bitch as well. Too bad he's cheap as shit."

"For your information we haven't slept together yet, and he's also not cheap. He always pays when we go out so get your facts straight before you open your mouth!" Pete ground his teeth, he was trying to keep his cool but he knew it was a losing battle.

"Really? Because he was blowing into oblivion me two weeks after we met so I guess we know who he prefers."

"Well we've done that but... Listen bobby this is really none of your business so just back off.

"Does he make those little moaning noises when he su-"

"I'm warning you Bobby, don't test me." He gave bobby his best glare and slammed his fist into the counter,

"Why don't you tell me why you're really doing this?"

"You don't have the right to ask me that. Not after what you did to him!"

"What I did to him, he left us."

"No, he left you. He left because he told you that he loved you and the next day you told everyone you're with Rogue. He was crushed." Peter smiled to himself as he saw Bobby visibly deflate at his words.

"Really?"

"Yes." The Iceman's brow furrowed,

"So that's it, you're only hanging out with him because he pays for your food and buys you things?"

"No Bo-"

"And you feel sorry for him because he has no one else?"

"Well Yes, but Tha-"

"Good to know, I'll see you later Pete." And with that a Bobby left, leaving smashed glass all over the floor. Pete sighed, John would be here soon; he had better get ready.

"Hey beautiful," smiled John as his date approached. He slid off his motorcycle and drew the other man into a hug before placing a chaste kiss on his lips. "Pete, there's something I need to tell you." _Ohh shit,_ thought Pete; this isn't going to be good. "I've been thinking a lot about us lately, our dates, our time together and..." He paused and drew a breath, "This is really hard for me to say."

"It's OK John, whatever it is just say it." Pete held his breath, in the movies these were the lines uttered before a break up. _I really do have the worst luck with men,_ he thought as John began to speak once more.

"I think... No, I know that. Ohh Hell I'm just going to say it, Pitor Rasputin, I know that we've not been seeing each other long, and that this is probably going to make me sound like a psycho but I can't stop thinking about you. I think… I think that I'm falling in love with you." Pete's eyes widened in surprise, he hadn't been expecting this. He thought for a moment about John, he was kind and attentive, gentle, a great kisser. He always listened and never judged, and Pete couldn't stop daydreaming about him. _Jesus, I've never felt this way about anyone before. _He smiled at the thought,

"John, I-"

"Hey Pete, wait up!" Came an all too familiar voice from behind, "You forgot your wallet." Pete could physically feel john start to tremble as he realised who the voice belonged to.

"Ohh hey John, you're looking good. Very good in fact," purred Bobby, throwing Pitor his wallet in one smooth motion. "So, how've 'ya been?" Pete growled in a warning, Bobby had no right to intrude like this. John was his. Noticing the tears in John's eyes he was about to tell bobby to piss off but he was hastily interrupted

"I'm fine," said John pressing himself further into Pete and taking hold of his hand. "I've got a new job, a new boyfriend, a new life really. What about you?" Bobby feigned interest and nodded.

"I'm fine," He paused as if considering his next words "listen baby can I talk to you for a minute, in private?" John felt Pete's grip tighten on his hand,

"Don't call me baby, and no. Anything you want to say to me you can say in front of Pete."

"Are you sure? He may not like this."

"Yes."

"I want you back."

"No."

"Why?"

"I love Pete."

"You love me."

"Not anymore." Bobby sighed,

"OK, but I think you should know something..."

"What?"

"I was talking to Pete earlier about how I broke your little heart," Pitor felt Johns hand begin to slip away, but he grasped it tighter, he knew he'd promised John he wouldn't say anything but he would not let John feel alone again.

"And?"

"He told me that... Ohh God John I'm sorry baby but he told me that the only reason he's with you is because you pay for his food, he says he bets you'd be a good fuck and that he feels sorry for you because you have no one else. I'm sorry baby but he's not with you because he loves you, he's with you because he pities you. He doesn't love you like I do baby... he doesn't love you at all." Pete felt John's hand snatch away from him,

"Did you really say that?" the Russian looked away, he couldn't lie to John and it was true, there was a certain amount of pity regarding John's lifestyle since leaving the mansion. His living situation may be adequate and his job sustainable but he had no real friends, no family. Then of course, there was pity regarding the whole Bobby incident, and John did have a tendency to pay for their dates but these things had nothing to do with why they were a couple. He loved John.

"Well, I-" he paused; "When I said it, I didn't mean it… I didn't mean that-" John's eyes widened with the realisation,

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you didn't say it. Please Pete, I need to hear it." He looked away,

"I can't... John, I didn't-"

"I can't believe this happened again," The next thing anyone heard was the roar of John's engine, and the screech of tires.


	4. Glen Coco

Three days went by and still John didn't call. It's not that Pete didn't try, he sent e-mails, texts, voicemail's but after the end of the first day when Piotr's cyber mail went undelivered and the automated voice on the phone said that the cell number was no longer active it became apparent that John had cut off his phone and deleted his e-mail address. Pete lay down on in his bed and sighed, the breakup had started to affect his job as an X-Man. He and Bobby were no longer speaking, he was too distracted to go to class and effectively refused to go on any missions claiming that he was sick. In truth he was just miserable. Why hadn't he just denied everything that Bobby said? OK, it was true that he felt a certain amount of pity for John and it was true that John did like to pay for things, but neither of them were the reason for their relationship; he loved John.

"Pete?" he buried his head under a pillow, "Go away." He heard the door open and felt the bed sink beside him, "Pete, what's wrong?" It was Storm, she had been on a mission for the past few months and had missed everything; she always came to see him as soon as she returned. She was like his big sister. She put her hand on his shoulder and he rolled over to face her, "Tell you what," she smiled and drew Pete into a hug; "I'm going to go grab us some junk food and a crappy DVD then we can talk about whatever this is." Storm returned minutes later with a large bag of popcorn, two bottles of Iron-Bru and a copy of 'Mean Girls'. Turning the television on she placed the DVD in the slot and fell into place next to Pete, "So, are you going to tell me what's wrong or do you want to wait until Glen Coco gets two candy canes and Gretchen Wieners gets none?" He smiled,

"Well, I've kinda been seeing someone but I fucked it up. Big time" He sighed and took a handful of Popcorn, smiling at the scene playing on the television.

"Wow Pete, that's great... Well that you're seeing someone, not that you broke up." He nodded, "Care to tell me who he is?" he looked away, not because he was embarrassed tell her about John but because he knew how much it had annoyed Orroro when he left them.

"St John Allerdyce." Storm raised an eyebrow,

"John was gay? I guess that explains why he was so angry all the time."

"What do you mean?" asked Pete grabbing another handful of popcorn.

"Well whilst he was here he was in the closet and being around men in tight leather all the time can't have been easy." She laughed and took a sip of her drink, "So what happened between you two?"

"Bobby happened." Pausing the movie she turned to Pete,

"You cheated with Bobby?" he shook his head,

"Before John left, he and Bobby were lovers, and the reason John left was because they hid it from everyone and the day after John told Bobby that he was in love with him he chose Marie."

"So I take it Bobby doesn't approve of this relationship?" Pete Grimaced,

"I was about to go on another date with John when Bobby came up to us because I had forgotten my wallet. We'd had a fight regarding John earlier that day and he repeated some of the things that were said about John but took them out of context. Then he knew that I couldn't deny them because then I would be lying. Did you know he was a bartender now? And he helps the homeless."

"Have you tried talking to him about this?" He sighed,

"He changed his number and e-mail address. But there's something else." He looked down as he spoke, "Right before Bobby fucked everything up, John told me… he told me that he was falling in love with me." A shuddering breath escaped his lips, "So when Bobby comes over and says all of those things to him it's just like the last time he told someone that he loved them. Right before he left." He put his hands to his face and sniffed, "He told me how much it hurt when Bobby did something like this and now I've gone and hurt him all over again." Tears were now rolling down Piotr's cheeks, he hated himself for hurting John and even more than he hated himself, he hated Bobby for hurting him twice. "I don't know what to do, Ro." She hugged him and nodded,

"You just stay here and watch the film, I'll be right back."

"Professor?" called Ro, knocking on his office door.

"Ahh, Ororo, glad to have you back. I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you when you arrived but we have a new addition to our team. Ororo Munroe, meet Amara Aquilla. Otherwise known asMagma."

"Pleasure to meet you, Amara,"

"Likewise." The girl stood and bowed, "If you will excuse me Professor; I will take my leave. I believe I have a lot to catch up on." Ro followed her with her eyes,

"Powers?" Charles smirked,

"This one is quite impressive, Flight, the ability to generate and control lava, Fire manipulation and Earth manipulation."

"Quite impressive indeed." She paused, "Fire manipulation like Pyro used to be capable off?" he shook his head,

"Alas, no my child. I have always believed that if John were to have continued his training he would have finally been able to create the fire as well as control it; during our sessions I took the liberty of viewing his mutant X gene and it was the complete opposite to young Mr Drakes. If Robert can create the ice then it is only plausible that with the right training John could have created fire… if only he would have stayed. Besides that, his degree of control was much finer than young Amara's." Ro nodded,

"Charles, can you find him?"

"Find John?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"For Piotr." The man smiled,

"I wondered what had changed in him. Would you care to elaborate on the situation or would you rather I not know?"

"Short version?" He nodded once more.

"John slept with Bobby and told him that he loved him. The next day Bobby gets with Rogue, John gets angry, school gets attacked, John later leaves with Erik. Blah Blah Blah, Alcatraz, Blah Blah Blah, Northstar, Blah Blah Blah. John and Pete get together, Bobby still wants John, John doesn't want Bobby so Bobby messes everything up and now Pete is sad." The professor swallowed,

"My, my that was concise."

"You know you could have just read all of that from my mind,"

"Yes, but where would be the fun in that." He raised an eyebrow and looked up at Ro, "I take it you wish for me to find John so Piotr can correct these ill feelings?" She nodded. "And why hasn't Colossus himself asked the favour or indeed gone to find the boy?" Ro shrugged

"Teenage boy, depressed, you do the math."

"He's twenty, but give me five minutes. And Ororo, might I suggest that you go to find John, possibly convince him to return to the mansion. It would indeed solve both our problems. "

"But Pet-"

"It would please him greatly, no doubt, if John returned. Otherwise you are free to tell Colossus the boy's whereabouts afterwards."

"Practical as always, Charles."


	5. Worth Fighting For?

"John, John is that you?" asked Storm descending upon her target location in a whirl of clouds,

"Orroro." He barley looked up from the book he had been reading to greet the woman as she approached,

"What are you reading?"

"The new Trudi Canavan book and it's trash. I can write circles around this woman and her new plotlines are horrible but I'm reviewing it on my blog so I thought I'd better stick it out."

"I know how you feel, the old books used to be so captivating. Now they're nothing but drivel." He nodded,

"Have you read the new Jim Butcher book?"

"Furies or Dresden?" John scoffed,

"Furies, true fantasy. The unpopular kind without all the ghosts, vampires and annoying marketing schemes." Storm nodded,

"It's good, much better than a lot of stuff out there at there at the moment." John simply looked at her before sighing and moving over to give her a seat on the park bench he currently occupied.

"I got my second book published yesterday, you know?" he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's the first in a new series I'm working on… I wonder if it will be popular or just end up in the $2 bin at Waterstone's." He opened his bag and offered Storm a bottle of water; she took it gratefully, still slightly dehydrated from her flight. "Are we going to sit here and make small talk all night or are you going to cut to the chase because as much as I've missed you I have a book to finish and a review to write." Slightly taken aback by the change in the man's demeanour she decided it was probably best to hurry this along.

"Come back."

"Where?"

"To the X-Men."

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm sick of fighting."

"We need you,"

"No, you need professional help." Standing up he slung his backpack onto his left shoulder. "Come on," he murmured walking over to his bike and throwing the white haired woman a helmet.

"Where are we going?"

"My place, we need to talk." Climbing onto the bike, they sped off towards John's apartment.

"Wow, Pyro your place is really nice." She said stepping into the well furnished apartment and wondering how the other mutant could afford such a spacious living arrangment.

"It's John, and thanks. Once I start getting money from the book deal I can finally finish off the guest bedroom and if I'm really lucky take over the rest of the floor."

"And you can afford all of this on a bartender's salary?" John nodded,

"Co-Manager actually, and don't forget I already have one book published. Besides, the club I manage is Quake." Storms eye's widened, Quake was legendary in San Francisco, the type of high profile club where JLO, Ke$ha or Britney would spend a Friday night.

"Well you've done well for yourself, that's for sure."

"Thanks, would you like a cup of tea?" she nodded and decided to skip the rest of the pleasantries getting down to business once more.

"So will you come back?" John flicked the switch on the kettle, and retrieved two cups from the cupboard. Slightly confused as to why John wasn't using his powers to heat the water, Storm moved to sit at the kitchen table.

"Why do you want me back?" the question had been bugging him all the way from the park, he hadn't exactly been good to the X-Men had he?

"We need more people with your level of control to help teach the younger generation, you have no idea how hard it is to find educated mutants who can teach actual subjects, ones who really want to help people… and then there's Pete." John shook his head and placed a china cup in front of Ororo, he remembered from school that she took no sugar and milk; just like him.

"Don't."

"I'm serious, John. He's miserable."

"So that's it, this is the real reason you want me back because one of your precious X-Men can't focus on saving the world? Well you can shove it because I'm not going to go back to playing happy families and making nice with people I can't stand. Not for you or for anyone else. Twice I have fallen for one of your people and twice they've thrown it back in my face, Bobby with Rogue and Pete by saying to Bobby that the only reason we were together was because he felt sorry for me, I paid for dinner and he wanted a good fuck." Storm was raised an eyebrow, she was silently impressed however that despite the harsh words John had not started to shout or burn things like he would have done a few years beforehand. "And on top of all of that he doesn't even come to see me in person, instead trying to text me and then sending you to do his dirty work! Not that I don't appreciate the social call and all but if he felt anything for me he would have been here himself, not hiding in the mansion behaving like a child." Strom nodded, she couldn't help but agree with what the man was saying. If she were him, she'd be pissed as well. "And besides, I don't even use my powers anymore. They have a bad effect on me."

"What do you mean?"

"They make me angry, more violent. If I could control it this may be a different conversation but as it stands I can't and I won't go back to what I used to be." Realising that John truly was afraid of his powers, she decided to get creative with the truth.

"The professor told me that he looked into your mutant X-gene, it seems that you do indeed have the ability to not just manipulate but also create fire, if you master that maybe you'll be able to control the effects of your powers on your person." John sighed, being afraid of his own powers was getting old and whilst it was true he yearned to be himself again he wasn't about to risk everything he had on some pipe dream. "I know the situation regarding the onset of your powers, John and believe me you have every right to associate them with anger but we can help you."

"A compromise," He murmured accepting the fact that whilst he may be happier without the use of his powers he was not whole. "I'll teach one class of advanced English for three periods each week and work with any fire students for another two. I will not move back into the mansion and Bobby is not to take my class. I won't teach anything other than English and I will not work with any fire related students until I can fully control my own powers. I will not go on any missions unless you are absolutely desperate and my other commitments always come first." He paused to mentally flick through the rest of his conditions, "I will need to teach early morning, as I will still be working at Quake and I will need time off for my book tour… Ohh and I need a salary. There's no way I'm teaching for free, understood?" Ororo nodded, "And Pete is not to be informed. If he wants to talk to me he should do so off his own back and not for fear of awkward silences when we bump into each other."

"Deal," she said extending her hand, "now tell me about this book you've written."

"I spoke to John," said Storm slipping back into the room where she had left her friend. He was still sitting on the bed and the movie was within its final minutes.

"You know, you Jean, Rogue and Kitty should do the jingle bell rock this year for Christmas," he mocked moving so Storm could sit on the bed. "Wait, you spoke to him what did he say, is he ok?" Ororo rolled her eyes and sat beside him,

"Pete, you've been a total ass." The boy next to her looked taken aback, Storm was blunt yes, but she usually sugar coated thing a little. He gulped.

"What have I done now?"

"Nothing Pete, and that's the problem. If you're serious about John you need to step up and be a man. He wants you to fight for him, realise what a great guy he is and make him yours but all you've done is sit in your bedroom and bitch. He is a great guy and I realised that after just twenty minutes with him; if you haven't seen it after several months then perhaps you don't really love him." Pete retreated back into the covers,

"If the only reason you came here is to…"

"The reason I came is to light a fire under your ass. You love him and whether or not you did it on purpose you hurt him, you need to go to him and make him see that you're serious about a relationship; not just some cheap fling." She moved onto the bed and wrapped her arms around the Russian, "This can be fixed, Pete. You just need to talk to him."

"Where is he?" Storm smirked,

"He said if you really listened to him when he spoke you'd know where he is."

"John?"

"So, you finally decided to man up? Storm must really kick some ass when she wants too." He smirked,

"So you just sat there waiting for me?"

"I was talking to Larry before you got here; he's in the booth ready to send us up. Fancy a ride?" Pete nodded and sat down next to his former boyfriend,

"What is it with you and Ferris Wheels?"

"I like them, get over it." Pete squirmed on the bench and the security bar was lowered over them by a an angry looking carnie,

"You hurt our Jonny and I swear I'll rip your lungs out through your throat." He snarled at Pete before returning to his booth to start the ride, Pete's eyes widened and John let out an uncharacteristic giggle,

"What? I told you they're like my family." An uncomfortable silence settled between the men, "I'm sorry it had to end this way, Pete, but I can't stay with someone who thinks so little of me. All those things you said…"

"I didn't say those things, John. I'm not going to sit here and say I'm completely blameless because I'm not and it's true I implied some things that I really regret but John you have to believe me I never meant to hurt you."

"I won't be in a relationship based around pity, Pete. I've had that before and it doesn't end well; believe it or not I actually wanted this to last."

"Wanted? John I still want this, I still want you! You have to believe me John, if there's anything I can do to make it up to you just tell me and I'll do it. I don't want to lose you again." He grabbed hold of John's hand and gripped it, "I do not care what your job is, I do not care who your friends are and I do not care about your past; I just want to be with you." Moving his head slightly he leant in for a kiss but the other boy pulled away,

"Let me explain something to you, I'm twenty three years old, I have a Masters in English language, I have two published books with at least four guaranteed sequels and I manage one of the most successful bars in San Francisco. The drunks and the bums, I find them at the shelters or during the day when I'm on an early shift and the club is nothing more than a regular old pub but at night you've never been to a busier club. I help them because I want to give something back and make amends for being an asshole for so many years. Believe me Pete, I'm not poor. There's no need to pity me in any way shape or form, and asked for the taking like a bitch stuff, yeah I know my way around a bedroom but if you grew up turning tricks on the streets you would to so don't give me a hard time because there was a point in my life where my body was all I had to offer." He sighed sadly and looked away from the man sitting next to him, "I won't be treated like that anymore, Pete. I deserve better and I need to know whether or not you really want this because if you're having second thoughts or doubting that you want someone with my history then I think you had better leave now." Pete couldn't think of anything to say, he wanted John to know how sorry he was, how much he wanted for everything to be back to the way it had been before this entire incident. So he kissed him. He turned John and crashed their lips together needing John to feel the passion that lived inside of him. He deepened the kiss and ran his hands through John's hair. Eventually he stopped, breathing heavily he held the other man close as if he were afraid he would get away; "I am so sorry, John. I'm so, so sorry." John shuddered against him and moved further into the embrace,

"I'm sorry too, perhaps I was slightly pre-mature with my declaration; I didn't mean to frighten you. I apologise." Pete pulled away, looking slightly affronted.

"Don't apologise for saying those words, John. Don't ever apologise for that," John simply nodded and wiped several tears away from his eyes,

"So do you want to get back together?" Asked Pete trying desperately not to sound too hopeful but failing miserably. John chuckled and tilted his head innocently,

"You mean we broke up? Why wasn't I informed of this?" grinning he pulled Pete into another kiss atop the Ferris Wheel, _Finally _he thought as X-man's strong fingers stroked his cheek, _Someone who thinks I'm worth fighting for. _


	6. Antony And Cleopatra

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SLASH.**

* * *

><p>Today was the first day of John's new job, professor of English at the Xavier institute for gifted something or other. <em>I can't believe Ororo talked me into this, <em>he thought as the first set of students entered the classroom. John was currently stood re-arranging papers on his desk with his back to the room, he secretly wanted to wait until everyone was in before turning around but mostly he just hated having a messy desk. Things with Pete had returned to normal and despite some initial trepidation they were back to where they used to be (even if John had actively refrained from using the L word). Their first date after the incident had been awkward at best but several meetings later things were better than ever. Hearing Pete mumble something about forgetting a pen he waited twenty seconds then turned around, "Hello Class, welcome to advanced English my name is John and I will be your Professor for your final year at the institute." Pete's borrowed pen snapped in half, "What are my credentials may you ask? Well, I have a Masters in English language and as of last week my second fully published novel with a promise of a minimum of four sequels. My blog is visited by thousands of people daily and my friends on Facebook and in real life include none other than Gillian Bradshaw, Michael Buckley, Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan and Jim Butcher… encase you did not guess I am a Fantasy author." He paused and sat on the edge of his desk, "Although I am sure you all know each other by now please humour me by going round the class and telling me your name, powers and favourite author. Ohh and By the way if any of you say Stephanie Myers I swear I will shoot myself." A laugh rolled throughout the room but John was sure he was a flicker of disappointment on the faces of some of the girls, "I'll start, my name is John I control fire and my favourite author is Shakespeare. I know that it is incredibly lame but if you can really absorb the meaning it is quite beautiful, plus Shakespeare was a total playa' so it's all cool. " he smirked and gestured to a girl sat in the front row,

"My name is Amara, I create magma and also have the ability control earth and fly." John raised an eyebrow,

"Awesome, you're like me only way better!" He winked and the class continued to relay their various powers and author's. When John saw that it was almost Pete's turn he thought it would be fun to try something different, pleased that as of yet there were no psychics in the class he said "Please continue, I'll still be listening but I seem to have misplaced the manuscript for the syllabus." He had purposely put the specification in the bottom drawer of the filing cabinet beside his desk, bending over to "find it" he knew he had made the right choice in jeans this morning when he heard a very audible groan coming from the back of the classroom; knowing it was Pete he decided to move his hips in a slightly inappropriate way. It wasn't until several seconds later that something struck him as odd, no one else was speaking either and as of yet there were still one person left before Pete; raising an eyebrow he turned his head. John had to stifle a laugh when he saw every girl in the class (and several boys) eyeing him with lust, "Is there a problem?" he asked trying to sound nonchalant. A girl in the back row shook her head and cleared her throat, "I'm Kitty, I can walk through things, and my favourite author is Terry Brooks,"

"Interesting, Kitty" he added with another wiggle, this time slower. "The Shannara books?" There was no response, "Kitty?"

"Humm…. What?"

"Your favourite book by Mr Brook's?"

"Hmm… yes… Books…." Several boys in the class groaned, and he was sure he heard someone throw a piece of balled up paper at the poor girl,

"Ok, Next?" Peter was silent. "Next?" Still silent. Grabbing the appropriate file, John stood and returned to sit back on his desk, eyes followed him as he went. "Hello, Mr Rasputin?" He waved his hand, "Care to join in with the class?" Pete looked around,

"Me?"

"Yes, you."

"Erm, what was the question?"

"The same one its been for the last twenty minutes." John smiled, his little game had paid off.

"Erm… Yes?"

"Yes?"

"No?"

"…No?"

"Yes?"

"Have you been paying the slightest bit of attention to the rest of the class, Pete?" he said with a slightly exaggerated sigh

"No sir." John sighed,

"I know it sounds useless as I already know your name but the question was 'What is your name and who is your favourite author?'" John smiled and 'accidentally' dropped his pen, causing him to bend over once more to retrieve it. Pete still had not answered the question. The teacher stood up and rolled his eyes, "Are you going to participate in the lesson or just sit there and gawp at me like a dog in heat?"

"Erm, my names P-Pete and er, my favourite ass is… your ass," he said in a slightly dazed and longing tone before he caught his slip up, "Ohh shit, I mean Golden, my favourite author, my favourite author is Christopher Golden, Ass. I mean John, Sir!" Several students in the class sniggered; John just rolled his eyes.

"See me after class, Mr Rasputin." John moved to sit on his desk once more. "Ok, here's the deal you all want to be writers I take it?" most of the students in the nodded, "And I aim to help you with that, I really do but first we have to get this syllabus completed. When I was taking this course, I had to teach it to myself and it only took me six months, I would prefer to teach it to you in the same time after which you will sit the exam and lessons will be over. I am however going to give you an option, either we can use up the entire years' worth of lessons on the syllabus, or we can do it my way and in the remaining six months I can teach you how to get published and look at any pieces you have written. I can help you construct a book, essay or manuscript; anything to help you be what you intend to be. My contacts at the publishing house and knowledge of other authors should go a long way to getting published… that is unless you would all rather spend a year doing the course?" John frowned as a murmur ran through the class, "All those is favour of doing it my way say 'I'"

"I" Was the resounding noise,

"Great, this makes things more interesting for me; now for the bad news, Unfortunately Professor Xavier has stipulated that I set a text for you all to study and much to my dismay I did not get a chance to decide what book we are given. It seems the Schools Literature programme is out-dated by about one hundred years and whilst it is one of my favourite plays to see at the Opera House, I can't imagine you children being very interested in studying Antony and Cleopatra." The class went on in much the same way, John telling the basic plot and asking if any of the students had ever read the text before. Glancing at the clock on the wall he informed them that even though they still had twenty minutes left of the lesson he would let them go early as he expected them to have read the first three acts by their next lesson in two days' time. The class stood up to leave, "Mr Rasputin, a word?" Pete nodded and made his way over to John's desk,

"Yes sir?" The older man raised an eyebrow and waited until the last student left the room,

"You seemed distracted in class today, Pete. Is everything OK?" John stood and moved to stand in front of his lover, pushing him back slightly onto the desk.

"I'm sorry sir," he added with a playful smirk; "You just looked so damn hot up there I was getting hard just watching you."

"Ohh really?" whispered John, sliding a hand down Pete's chest and resting it just above the other man's groin, he gripped it slightly and felt Pete start to harden. "You know, Pete, as an educator I've always been a fan of positive re-enforcement. Do you know what that means?" He asked, undoing Pete's zipper and slipping his hand in to rub Pete's barley restrained erection.

"John…" he shuddered as the older man undid the button atop Piotr's trousers and allowed them to fall around his ankles;

"It means that if you do something good, I reward you. And let me just say, getting hard over me in the middle of class is very, very good." Pulling down Pete's boxers, John dropped to his knees. "And good behaviour deserves a reward wouldn't you say?" Pete leaned back and placed his elbows on the desk,

"Ohh God yes." John smirked and started to stroke Pete's dick in long smooth motions. Seeing the effect this had on the other man, John set a teasing pace. Licking a slow stripe from base to tip he placed the head of Pete's cock in his mouth and sucked gently before swallowing the rest of length, Pete groaned. "Harder," he begged sweeping the contents of John's desk on to the floor and leaning back even further onto the desk. Never one to deny a partner what they wanted John slammed down on Pete's shaft in one fast motion and set a brutal pace, sucking and gobbling with renewed vigour.

"Ohh God baby, yes!" John felt strong hands slide into his hair and grip, he knew he was good at giving head, great in fact, but determined to give his partner the best blow of his life John swirled his tongue around Pete's tip and moaned before shoving the entire length down his throat and humming. Pete's hips thrust upwards as John continued to suck; loving the delicious moans and whimpers he drew from his lovers' mouth, "Your lips feels so good around my dick, John… Ohh yes… baby, so good… Just like that… Just like that." Never content to leave anything at just 'good' John shuffled back slightly and pulled Pete into a standing position,

"I know what you want, Pete so just do it. I can take it, honestly." At this, the Russian raised an eyebrow,

"What do you mean?" John buried his mouth into Pete's balls and began to suck them between words, "I know you want to fuck my throat, Pete. You want me to gag on your cock and take it deep, milking you with nothing but my mouth. Just do it, fuck my throat Pete."

"You are so fucking sexy," was the only reply he received before the Russian grabbed hold of John's hair and thrust his entire length into the back of John's throat, "Ohh yes, Fuck!" yelled Pete as John began swallowing in time to meet his lovers thrusts, "Ohh baby… Just like that... I'm getting so close… Just…" When John began to swirl his tongue around and cup Pete's balls the other man completely unravelled before him, practically screaming a litany of inaudible praises; John felt the Russian's abdomen begin to tighten before him and with one final thrust Pete came. Hard. John's throat was filled with Pete's seed but he just kept sucking, determined to draw out every last drop available from his lover. Swallowing he practically purred before kissing his way back up to Pete's lips. John observed the form before him; he must have removed his shirt at some point during the ordeal as the delicious specimen of man way lay backwards, spent, over John's desk breathing as if he has just run a marathon. "Did you enjoy your first lesson, Mr Rasputin?" he teased, moving his body to cover Pete's and biting down playfully on one of the man's nipples.

"I…When did you… How did you… I can't… You just… God John, that was amazing." The older man laughed, "I knew you were good from that time at the beach, but this… You just… Fuck."

"You're so hot when you're speechless."

"God, I love you John." The fire manipulators eyes widened as he heard the words slip from Piotr's mouth, did he mean it or was it just the post-orgasm rush talking? Deciding not to take it too seriously he clambered onto the desk atop the other man and kissed him firmly,

"I know." About five minutes later, John decided he had better wake his other half from his self-induced coma, a new class would be starting soon and it just wouldn't do to have students walk in on a teacher lying on top of a naked student. "Come on stud, time to go." Pete groaned and drew John into another languid kiss,

"You're amazing, you know that?" John blushed and moved to collect Pete's clothing,

"And you, Mr Rasputin are Two for Zero. Do I take it next time I will be on the receiving end of a mind-blowing orgasm?" Pete smirked as he pulled on his pants,

"Of course you will. If you let me fuck you, that is."

"I already told you," said John shaking his head "Not until your 21st Birthday, I actually want to be able to spend the night with you without having to worry about a curfew or getting you home in time."

"Fine then, I accept that. But you have to promise to do that thing with your tongue again next time you're sucking my dick." He winked and moved over to pull John into his arms and kissed him on the forehead, "Because that was bloody incredible." John simply laughed and snuggled closer into Pete;

"It's a deal."

* * *

><p><em>Awwwww, aint it cute? Yall gots a little something somthing to tide you over.<em>

_Only about two more chapters before Pete's Birthday... Anyone else excited for our fella's to go all the way?_

_Anyways R&R please, I've had quite a few people add this to their alerts, but no reviews :( Wahhh!_

_Love you all anyways!_

_Keep Reading._

_xx_

_HLW._


	7. Bobby's Plan

"Bobby, sweetie what the hell is wrong with you?" asked Dazzler hopping onto the couch beside the disgruntled man. "You've been moping around this dump for the past month like someone stole your favourite porno, what's up?"

"No offence Dazzler but somehow I don't think you're the best person to talk about this with,"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean, asshole? Just because I'm trying to be nice here doesn't mean I won't tear out your spleen and make you eat it, Popsicle."

"You see what I mean, you're hardly sensitive." The woman merely shrugged and went into the kitchen before returning with two beers, "Here."

"You know Logan will kill you if he finds out you've been stealing his beers, right?"

"These are mine, dipshit. I'm the resident junkie, remember?" She took a swig of her beer. "So, come on spill. I won't tell anyone, I swear." Bobby seemed to consider this before eventually giving up; once Dazzler got her teeth into something she wouldn't let go.

"Have you ever lost someone and wanted them back, and it's like you can't stop thinking about them no matter what you do?" He took a long gulp of his beer and just waited for the girl before him to laugh or call him a pussy.

"Yeah, Popsicle. I know what that feels like. You remember when I was in a coma, and Warren was sent away from the institute? Well when I woke up I was taken by Kurt into to a cave in the hills because he said the institute had been attacked; all I could think off was Warren. How much I missed him and I swear if you ever tell him any of this I'll make you eat your own liver but it was hell without him. And for those five minutes he was dead during the battle with Apocalypse before Jean reset time I didn't think I'd be able to live without him. So yeah, I know how it feels." Bobby was stunned, Dazzler was usually hard as nails not fluffy and pink; she was definitely worried about him.

"Ok, so there's this person and I was a stupid fuck and let them leave, now they're with someone else and there's nothing I can do about it. I picture them together all the time and it sucks because ever since we separated I can't get over it; I basically slept my way through this place in an attempt to forget but it didn't seem to work." Dazzler simply raised an eyebrow,

"Bobby are you gonna cut the crap or do I have to do it for you?"

"What?" She sighed and swung her legs up onto the couch,

"I've been here since the beginning, remember? I know you're talking about John. When he left a little spark went out inside you, and when he comes back as a teacher you go all PMS on everyone's ass so for those of us who are not complete dipshits it's not hard to put two and two together." Bobby simply sighed and nodded,

"Yes, OK. It's John." He sighed, "We were a thing before he left but I decided that I couldn't let anyone find out so I hooked up with Rogue the day after we had sex and well… you know the rest. Now he has a boyfriend and he says he's happy but he should be with me, no one gets him like I do. No one. We're like two sides of the same coin, fire and ice. What can Pete do? Turn into metal, big fucking deal." Alison's eyes widened and Bobby realised his slip up,

"You mean Pete… And John… Are…. Together?" Bobby nodded,

"Yeah, for a while now. They're all over each other."

"There's only one thing you really need to ask yourself, is he happy?" She put her hand over his shoulder and gripped it, "If he is happy you can't mess that up but if he's not then you either tell him how your feeling or move on. You can't force him to fall in love with you again." Bobby took a sip of his beer and looked away from Alison,

"What would you do, if you were in my position? If it were Warren who you'd scared away and he'd gone and paired up with Jubes?" Alison chuckled,

"Well I hate the bitch so I'd break them up but you're actually friends with Pete. Listen babe, I've gotta jet, Warren's taking me out tonight but just think about what I said OK? If he doesn't want you any more just move on. Don't let it eat you up hun." Bobby nodded,

"Thanks Ali, You've helped. Really, thanks."

"No worries, Ice Pop. Just stop moping around OK? We're all worried about you." And with that she was gone, leaving Bobby to mull over her words in his head _I hate the bitch so I'd break them up… _How intriguing.

* * *

><p>Bobby smirked as it became apparent the God's of fortune transpired in his favour. Ever since his chat with Dazzler, he had been plotting ways to break John and Pete up but when he heard the news that Wolverine was returning from a six month stint in Japan, all other operations were side lined for what Bobby deemed to be the most perfect plan ever. All of the upper class men knew about Logan and Peter, there little trysts after missions were well documented but after Scott got involved all negative comments towards their little "flings" had been put to a stop. No-one wanted to face the wrath of Scott; and besides he's always so much nicer after he gets some action. As it stood Bobby's plan was simple, he'd text John after his early shift at Quake ended around nine from Pete's phone which he had stolen earlier that day; he'd pretend to be Pete and say something was wrong asking if John could come over. John being the sweetheart that he is would race over to aid his distressed boyfriend, meanwhile Bobby would ensure Logan was 'in the mood' and went looking for Pete; ensuring to time it so John would arrive when the paid were mid flow and letting him see what Pete was really like. Bobby would comfort him and all would be back to how it should be, simple. So when he saw Logan standing in the kitchen sipping a beer it was time to put his plan into action. He looked at the time; 9:30. Perfect, he sent a text to John asking if he was free to come over before slipping the phone back onto the arm of the couch where Peter had left it that morning. He waited fifteen minutes, ample time for John to make his way over and then slipped into the kitchen where Logan was now arranging what appeared to be a very large sandwich.<p>

"Hey, Logan."

"Hey popsicle, what's up?" Bobby shook his head.

"Not much."

"Anything interesting happen whilst I've been away?"

"Not much," he positioned himself across from the other man, "Pete's been a bit snappy lately, however." This, as bobby had hoped, seemed to peak the feral's interest.

"What d'ya mean, snappy?" The smaller boy shrugged,

"You know how hard it's been for him since he separated with Northstar, I just think he needs to get laid. Guy's practically exploding." To the untrained eye, Logan was giving off an air of cool indifference but Bobby knew otherwise, he could practically see the cogs of Logan's simple little mind ticking away. _Gotcha. _

"Huh," He said abandoning his sandwich; "Laters kiddo." Bobby looked at the discarded food before moving over to take a bite,

"Score!"

John heard his phone beep as he stepped out of Quake following a tediously long day shift, the club may be a celeb hotspot during the night but during the day it was just a boring old bar. _Hey baby, something's come up and I'm feeling a little down. Can you come over, I need some company? :( xxx _John smiled, he loved it when Pete sent him little texts, he wondered what was wrong with his boyfriend. _Sure, I'll be right over. _He replied before hopping on his bike and heading towards the mansion.

* * *

><p>Pete heard a knock at his door, "Come in." Logan strode confidently into the room, moving over to the Russian and crushing their lips together.<p>

* * *

><p>Bobby grinned as he heard a motorcycle pull up to the front of the mansion; John must have been given an access card when he started as a teacher. Moving from the kitchen to the lounge he flicked on the TV and waited for his plan to transpire. He heard the front door open and the quite clunking sound of the shoes John was wearing as he walked towards his cheating love.<p>

* * *

><p>"Logan, what the fuck?" breathed Pete as the man above him pulled down his zipper and removed his cock from its confinement.<p>

"I've missed ya Petey, Y'know six months away can do things to a guy. I know you've missed me too, I can see it in your eyes, I can smell it on ya'."

"Logan, Nugh-Gerrof me!"

"No, Pete. I've missed ya babe and you're gonna feel so good whilst I'm fucking you." Pete whimpered as Logan bit the sensitive spot on his neck; usually Pete would be all for hooking up with Logan after so long but he was with John now and that wouldn't be fair to him… but Jesus Logan was good with his tongue, and the man's hands were touching him in places he hadn't felt another's hands in months. Namely his ass. He appreciated John trying to take things slow, (he had previously told Pete that he would save sex until his twenty first birthday) but God how he'd missed this. Logan's hands were working on Pete's belt and he wasn't stopping him.

"Ohh God…"

"I know you want this baby, been all alone for six months haven't ya? You mustta been in hell without me to do this to you," He said flipping Pete onto his stomach and pulling his hips up to meet the Feral's pelvis; Pete could feel Logan's hard length rubbing him through his pants but It felt wrong, it felt cheap.

"Logan I can't do this," He breathed trying to remove himself from the iron grip the other man had on his waist.

"Quit playin' with me Petey, I'm not in the mood. We're gonna fuck and you're gonna like it. The more you squirm the harder I'm gonna fuck you just so you learn who you belong to," He growled before biting down especially hard on Pete's shoulder.

"Logan, I said no!" Twisting his hips he scrambled to the other side of the room and turned into his metal form; "Fuck off, Logan. I mean it."

* * *

><p>John strolled through the halls of Xavier's school for the gifted. He knew exactly where he was going but his mind kept wondering to thoughts of his lover; what was wrong with his six foot five Russian teddy bear?<p>

"Fuck!" he swore accidentally stubbing his toe the corner of a door as he swung it open. Moving from the living quarters to the dormitories he took a left leading down to Pete's room but as he reached the door he was stopped by the voices on the other side; "Gonna fuck and you're gonna like it. The more you squirm the harder I'm gonna fuck you just so you learn who you belong to…." John felt his heart smash into a million little pieces as he heard the man who he had only recently got back together with cheat on him. Backing away from the door he realised he had two options; to flea and leave Pete without even a goodbye or he could storm into that room and demand a fucking explanation for why his boyfriend thought it was OK to shag other men behind his back. He chose the latter. Turning the handle he walked into the room,

"Logan I'm serious get the fuck off me; I don't want this!"

"You wanna play with powers, OK I can play with powers Kidda" He growled taking out his middle claw and using it to slash Pete's pants down the middle.

"Logan, Stop! I have a boyfriend."

"Not after this you won't, not after you remember how good I can make you feel. Not after you remember how tight my ass feels around your dick and how good my dick feel fucking you into the mattress."

"Logan, Nugh… Ohh God… Don't make me hurt you…Urgh, right there…" Pete's protests caused a flicker of hope inside John as he watched the spectacle before him; admittedly Pete wasn't beating Logan to a pulp like one would have hoped however to know that he wasn't an entirely willing participant helped sooth the anger welling towards his partner- the moans of 'ohh God' and 'Right there' were a bit off-putting, however.

"What exactly do you think you're doing?" asked John in the friendliest voice he could muster. Both men whipped around to see John standing there, a sneer plastered on his face.

"John, John this isn't what it looks like… I wasn't… Logan was just…"

"Fuck off, firebug. Metal man here is mine. You may wanna back it up before I show you just what that means."

"Save it Pete, I know exactly what this is and believe me it is more than over between us. You weren't saying yes but you weren't exactly pushing him away either and judging by the whimpers that punctuated your sentence I could tell you were more than enjoying yourself. You can go ahead and un-steal now and Logan," he cast a glance down to the Feral's private areas "You may wanna zip yourself back up. Or not, whatever. You can keep him, because I'm leaving. Goodbye, Pete." Head held high he stalked out the room leaving the men alone once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Ok, so I know... But I needed to have a little upload. <strong>_

_**THIS WHOLE THIS IS GETITNG SO CONFUSING!**_

_**But it will all work out in the end, it's not over for them yet!**_

_**I'm not sure how imma work it yet however... Food for thought! **_

_**:3**_

_**Anyway, Review! **_

_**xx HLW 3**_


	8. Make or Break

John was falling apart. Once he left the Mansion he literally broke down, speeding through the streets of San Francisco he simply fled; refusing to let Pete see him cry. Today however was Monday and he was forced to teach Russian's English class again- and he was utterly miserable. The fire manipulator had spent the last few days in total isolation, calling in sick to work and destroying himself with cheap whiskey. He didn't even have the energy to buy Scotch like a civilized human being but on the plus side he was finally ankle deep in writing a soppy emotional death scene for his new book. He found pain always helped his writing. Looking dishevelled and rung out he moved his laptop and thumped his head onto the wooden surface of his desk, seeing Pete today would be difficult. Despite the entire situation he felt somewhat bad for blaming the Russian, after all he had eventually tried to halt the situation but it could not have got that far without some indication of willingness; that was why he felt so miserable, he had told the Russian that if he ever hurt him again they would be over and he was hurt so it was over. Simple. Then why did he feel so depressed? John didn't look up until the entire class was seated, and when he did it was a physical strain not to look straight at Pete. "You got your books; read 'em." He growled surveying the class and paying absolutely no attention to Piotr, "Any questions?" One girl in the front raised her hand. "What?" asked John forcibly refraining himself from setting the girls desk on fire,

"Are you OK, John?" At this, John simply melted; as much as he wanted too he couldn't be mean to her or even come up with a scathing remark when she was so obviously trying to make him feel better. It was sweet of her to ask. John felt his resolve shatter,

"How old are you guys?" He croaked trying harder than ever to hold back tears, "19-20?" The girl nodded, "Then I think It's fine for me to tell you this. Sometimes in life, you'll find that no matter what you do and no matter how much you want something or to a greater extent someone; nine times out of ten the thing won't work out or the person won't want you back. Now, I've lived a pretty fucked up life, been on the streets when I was hella' young, been a prostitute and even faught against the X-Men but I recently got my act together and found someone I thought I could be with for the long haul… Turns out they only wanted me until someone better came along and I walked in on them literally coming along if you catch my meaning. Not only that but I've received no form of contact from them in the last three days. They haven't rang, text, shown up at my apartment or even asked about me at work; basically they don't give a fuck that they broke my heart and don't appear to be offering any reason for doing so." John's voice was barley a whisper by the end of his speech; "Excuse me class." He said before standing sparing a glance at Pete and running out of the room. Pete slammed his head on the desk; he had been called away on a mission almost directly after the whole Logan situation and only returned Saturday night. He had assumed that a phone call wouldn't suffice for the amount of grovelling he would have to perform in order to get John to speak to him again so he left it till Monday when he knew he'd be able to talk to John fact to face after class. He hadn't anticipated his belated contact would be perceived as a lack of care. He was so fucking stupid.

"Who the hell would cheat on John?" asked Magma from the front of the class;

"I don't know," replied Kitty; "He's totally hot. Much hotter than any of the other professors around here."

"I don't know," replied one guy from the other side of the class, "Professor X is pretty fit… I think it's the whole bald thing." The class sniggered. Taking advantage of the class's absorption in the 'who cheated on John' discussion he slipped out of the room; he needed to find his boyfriend. He had to talk to him.

"Can't have gotten far," he mumbled walking down the corridor. It was lesson time so the mansion was generally quiet; a sobbing man shouldn't be hard to find.

"Fuck off, Icepop" he heard as he came closer to the kitchen. He recognised John's voice immediately, Pete hung back; Bobby was obviously in there and the last thing Pete needed to do was upset John more.

"John, baby you know I'm here if you need me…"

"I already told you once, don't call me baby!" he snapped before Pete heard running water and the clink of a glass.

"Dude, seriously I'm only here to talk. This about Pete?" John nodded,

"Caught him in the middle of something with Logan."

"I know." He mumbled going to the fridge and taking out a bottle of Lilt.

"How do you know?" Bobby shrugged;

"Saw you leaving looking pissed as hell, then Logan coming out of Pete's room afterwards. Wasn't rocket science." Bobby went to sit opposite the fire bender; "He's a dick John, you deserve better." Pete frowned from behind the wall, Bobby was the dick not him. Well… Kinda.

"He's not a dick." Added John, leaping to his former lovers defence; "Whilst I'm mega pissed with him for letting things get that far he was saying no to Logan. " He sighed audibly, "No matter how much I try to hate him, I can't stop loving him. I don't think I want to stop."

"Damnit John, he cheated on you!" interrupted the ice bender, slamming his fists into the counter top,

"Don't you think I know that, Bobby?" his voice barley a whisper. "I told him the last time we broke up that if he ever hurt me again that it would be over and now it's happened I really don't want to end it. But he's obviously not in love with me anymore so I guess I'll just have to deal with it. Can't force him to love me can I? I tried that with you and look how that turned out," He mumbled. "I always thought that Pete could save me from anything, y'know fix any problem just by being there but I guess I was just kidding myself, huh?"

"For what it's worth the whole me and Rogue thing wasn't your fault, I was an ass back then and I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you so much, I just got scared and needed a way out I mean I was already a mutant so being a gay mutant would have just taken the piss. I guess things are different now."

"Don't worry about it, I mean I'm not going to run into your arms or be your bff but at least we can be civil to each other. You were always good to me, despite being an utter prat towards the end. It would be nice if we could have even a smidgen of that back." Behind the wall, Pete stiffened. '_please don't get back together, please don't get back together' _he thought getting ready to bolt into the room and save John from the evil grasp of the iceman.

"I'm never going to stop trying to get you back, John. I still love you and I'm not going to stand here and watch you waste your life away with Pete. Like I said before, you deserve better and I'm gonna make sure you get it." John repressed a sigh,

"I'm not wasting my time with Pete, he's clearly not interested in me anymore but Bobby I can't get back together with you."

"Why not?"

"Because I still feel for him," He snapped, before bringing his voice back down to an appropriate level. "And it wouldn't be fair to you or me if I try to burry my feelings in another relationship, If Pete doesn't want me then that's fine but I can't just switch off my feelings for him. I just don't work that way, Bobby; it takes me a while to let go." A silence settled in the kitchen and Pete thought it time he revealed his presence,

"Can I kiss you?" asked Bobby as Pete's blood turned to ice,

"I'd rather you didn't," replied John moving to the sink to refill his glass of water, "its nothing personal Bobby I just don't want to get sucked back into all of this. I just want someone who's going to treat me right and who actually wants to be with me." Before Bobby could form another Pete bashing retort the Russian slipped into the room,

"You know I want to be with you, John."

"Fuck off, Tin-Man" growled Bobby moving to stand in front of John

"It's OK," said John moving from behind the seething man. "I think we need to talk." Dejected, Bobby left the room but not before letting Pete know exactly what he thought of him; and it wasn't pleasant. Pete moved till he was directly in front of the other man, deciding that actions spoke louder than words he attempted to kiss John only to receive a slightly vicious slap to the face.

"Don't touch me," He barked moving away from his former lover. "Not after what I saw you doing. How the fuck could you let it get that far, Pete; did it never occur to you to put an end to it before it escalated to that level? And most importantly why did you text me and ask me to come over if you knew I'd walk in on you and Logan all but fucking in your bedroom, did you want a threesome or something?" Pete's forehead wrinkled,

"John I didn't text you." Taking his phone out of his pocket he looked at the sent messages; apparently he had text John and asked him to come over…. What the fuck? "OK John, I didn't send that text."

"It doesn't matter whether or not you sent it; you shouldn't have been doing that in first place!" John was getting angry now, his eyes narrowed to slits and changed to a deeper shade of blue; "How do you think it felt for me to walk in and see that only weeks after we got back together, what the hell is wrong with you?"

"I know how it looks, John but you have to believe me I told him to leave I don't want him; I want you. Only you." John sighed and looked away,

"I wish I could believe that, Pete. I really do but how can I after this? You say you love me and then I walk in on that…"

"I told him to leave! John, I know how much you must hate me right now and I know you think that all I'm ever going to do is hurt you but I said no John, I told him to get the fuck off me but he just wouldn't listen."

"I don't hate you." Murmured John, looking pointedly at his feet,

"What?"

"I said I don't hate you. I could never hate you Pete but I can't just forget that this happened either, I need you to look me in the eye and tell me that you didn't do anything to lead him on; that you didn't kiss him back, groan or even arch into him. I need to know that you didn't want it, even for a split second." Pete was silent,

"I can't say that John. Logan and I have a lot of history and OK, maybe for a second I let him kiss me and maybe just for a second I kissed him back but it was nothing more than that. I would never have cheated on you, John. You have to believe me; I would never have willingly had sex with him." Pete shuffled slightly, he felt extremely uncomfortable under the other man's scrutiny.

"I told you… I told you that if you ever hurt me again that we… that we would be finished." The blonde's mood had changed from livid to distressed and for some reason another round of tears were welling at his eyes ."And then you go and do it. You hurt me and then you don't show up at my flat, you don't call, e-mail or even fucking text! How am I supposed to believe that you want to be with me when after something as big as this you leave me for days without so much as an apology. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I even had to call in sick for work because all I could do was think about you and what a fucking arsehole I've been by thinking that I could actually trust you."

"You can trust me, John!" He all but shouted moving so he was stood directly in front of the other man, "I had to go on a mission and by the time I got back it was Saturday night; I just didn't have the time…" he mumbled somewhat dejectedly.

"What about Sunday, couldn't you have spared 20 minutes of your precious time to see how I was? Even five minutes for a phone call?" Pete spluttered,

"I…I…"

"You what, come on spit it out, you what?"

"I was scared!" he admitted forcing John to look him in the eyes, "I was scared that if I crowded you and forced you to look at me too soon that you'd tell me to fuck off and never want to see me again and god-damnit John, I couldn't handle that! I don't care what you think anymore because I know how I feel about you. I love you and I don't care who tries to make you think otherwise because I know that you're the first thing that I think about in a morning and the last thing before I go to bed, when I'm with you it's like everything's fine in the world and I know it's the cheesiest line in the universe but I don't know what I'd do without you… I fucking love you, John and I know that I've messed up big time but you need to know how sorry I am."

"You said that last time," spat John still not willing to give up the fight.

"Yes, I know. I promised that I'd never hurt you again and I fucked up but there's nothing I can do to change that; I know you love me as much as I love you and I'm not willing to give that up. Not now, not ever so I'm going to keep on fucking up until I get this right and believe me I will get this right. I can't lose you, John. I just can't."

"Kiss me." He says, Pete just stared at him,

"You won't slap me again?" The man smirked,

"Maybe, if it's bad… I really care for you Pete and I think I should just stop thinking and do what feels right. If I keep thinking about this I'm not going to be able to get over it; I need you to make me forget, Pete." He didn't need to be told twice; crossing the room he pulled John towards him. The kiss was hot, desperate. Pouring all of his emotions into that moment he showed John just how much he meant to the other man. Dragging his hands through the other man's hair he felt John sag beneath him and lean into the kiss. "I swear," he muttered one the embrace was broken "if I ever catch you with another man again I will burn both of you into ashes." Pete sniggered,

"If I ever do something so stupid again, I'll let you." For a moment, John looked as if he was going to back away but instead threw his arms around Pete in a tight embrace. "I'm sorry for being such a dick," he whispered in the smaller man's ear as the familiar scent of Raspberry's came from John's hair.

"It's fine," he mumbled into the Russian's chest,

"Promise me you'll never leave me" He shook his head,

"Let's just get back to the way we were OK? I hate fighting with you." Pete ran his hands through John's hair and kissed him on the forehead,

"We had better get back to class…" He began before he felt a sharp tug on his arm,

"Nah, they would have all left by now. Let's go for some lunch I haven't eaten in like four days and I'm craving noodles." Pete smiled fondly and left the mansion with John tucked safely into his side.


	9. Horror Movies & Spooning

Bobby snarled and threw his empty coke bottle against the wall with a scream. He had, of course, been listening to John and Pitor's conversation from the other side of the wall and when it had become apparent that the couple were not separating he had stormed to his room to vent. "Fucking Pete with his fucking charm and his fucking hero image, why couldn't John see that Pete would never love him the way he could? "I always thought that Pete could save me from anything, and fix any problem just by being there; guess I was kidding myself, huh?" That's what he said, John could do a better Job of saving anyone than Pete. Fucking Russian prick. Ever since those words had slipped from John's mouth a plan had been forming in the Iceman's head; he was more than a little unwilling to put the action into practise but desperate times called for desperate measures and something had to be done. Without sparing much thought for the consequences he picked up his cell phone and dialled his informant within the brotherhood; the X-men had been working on infiltrating the band on mutant supremacists and as such Bobby had formed a useful ally within their ranks, Angel Salvadore was as cunning as she was sexy and as sly as she was manipulative. Completely focused on her own survival, Tempest displayed no qualms in lying, cheating or stealing to get what she wanted. And what she wanted was security. Amnesty on both sides of the fence, good and evil so no matter what happened in the future she was protected and guaranteed a place in the world. Bobby respected the hell outta her; but more than that he feared her. Angel had a wicked temper and could most likely kick Bobby's ass.

"Hello?" came the silky, sultry tones of the Hispanic woman.

"Hey, It's Bobby…"

"I'm busy, make this quick." John smirked, _straight to the point as always._

"Pyro's active again and I know you want him. Teacher, Student baseball game Wednesday afternoon he'll be defenceless apart from Colossus who'll protect him at all costs. San-Fran baseball diamond 12o'clock."

"Thanks," She muttered before disconnecting the call. Bobby knew what would happen next, Angel would report back to the brotherhood and a couple of low level thugs will storm the match and try to take back John. Thanks to Bobby's little mention of Colossus they'll pay extra attention to eliminating him first and then Bobby can swoop in and save John; effectively moving the 'hero worship' from the Russian to himself. It made perfect sense, John would love him again and hopefully reward him with one of those mind blowing blow jobs he was capable of giving; or letting Bobby fuck him. Either way. Bobby smiled when he remembered seeing John naked for the first time; there is a reason John always bottoms during sex and something told him Pete hadn't discovered it yet. He had made sure to conceal John's "abnormality" as he knew how touchy the man was about that particular area of his anatomy and there would be nothing Bobby would like more than for John to stick his foot in it in the middle of their first time. Going through the plan in his head once more, he made a mental note to stick close to John as his plan depended on being the hero. _You can do this, Bobby._

Pete lay in bed watching a horror movie and spooning the man he loved.

"Silly bitch," murmured John sleepily as Pete began stroking his hair; "If Freddy Kruger was trying to kill me with his whole knife finger thing I would not run outside in nothing but a nightshirt. It's fucking ridiculous!" Pete chuckled and leant further into his boyfriend planting soft kisses on the man's neck and being momentarily rewarded with a moan that slipped freely from John's mouth.

"Only three days left till your birthday, are you excited?" Pete growled in response,

"You have no idea how hard you make me."

"Actually I do," Interjected the other man; "I can feel it pressing against my thigh." John pressed back into Pete and ground his hips into the other man creating a light friction that drove him insane.

"Huuuummmmm, You like what you're feeling?" Came the husky reply as the thrusting increased,

"If I would have known Russian's were so perfect, I would have set my sights on you years ago." John flipped over so he was face to face with Pete and kissed him on the lips before running his hands over the Russians body, "Perfect arms," He whispered grasping Pitor's bicep's. "Perfect chest," He groaned tweaking Pete's nipples and turning them into hard stubs, "Perfect ass" He said with a grope; "And to top it all off you've got the best dick I've ever sucked." Pete grinned,

"Better than Bobby's?" he asked feeling soft fingers begin to pump his shaft and even softer lips kiss his neck.

"Don't get me wrong, Bobby's got an impressive shaft but you… Ohh God, Pete." He all but moaned as he pulled down the other man's pants and looked underneath the covers to reveal his prize. "So perfect; and you know what I love most about you in the bedroom?" Pete shook his head. "How responsive you are. I love the noises you make, I love how loud you are and I love knowing that I can reduce you to a quivering wreck using only my tongue."

"John, Please!"

"Tell me, Pete. Tell me what you want."

"Touch me," It wasn't a question; John had always suspected that his boyfriend liked things a little rougher than average in the bedroom and after their last encounter, he was sure of it. More than happy to oblige, John took Pete's shaft in his hand and set a slow yet firm pace dragging the covers off the bed with his free hand he moved down the other man's body taking the other man's balls into his mouth and sucking lightly. "Ohh God, John." Seeking to increase the other man's torture he licked a stripe up the underside of the Russians shaft before sliding two fingers into Pete's un-lubricated hole and taking the other man whole in his mouth. "Fuck, Fuck FUCK!" a harsh thrust upwards into John almost caused him to lose his pace but years of practise won through, and by placing a firm hand on Pete's chest he continued gobbling the shaft without so much as a wince. Feeling strong hands form a grip in his hair, he pushed himself further down on Pete's cock until his nose was safely nestled in a patch of black curls; upon hearing another guttural moan escape his lovers lips he began fucking Pete's dick with his throat, swallowing and slurping until his boyfriend was little more than a writing mass of flesh beneath him begging for release. When he felt Pete's body tense underneath him, he pulled of the shaft and removed his fingers from inside his lover; "Please… Please John let me cum!" He begged thrusting his hips wantonly upwards into the other man's face,

"Beg for it,"

"What?"

"You heard me, beg for it." Said John, punctuating his words with feather light touches to the other man's shaft and kisses to his inner thighs.

"Please John, I need this. Need you, please John let me come; I'm all yours, just fucking take me, please. PLEASE!" and with that Pete came violently as an all too talented mouth descended on his manhood once more. John pulled off moments later after swallowing what seemed like truck full of Pete's cum; he licked his lips appreciatively.

"You taste so good," he whispered as he kissed his way back up the other man and claimed his lips in a passionate kiss; "So very good, daddy." Pete stiffened and sat up on his elbows,

"What did you just call me?" His breath was ragged and his hair was dishevelled; John could tell Pete was finding it hard to form coherent speech let alone hold a conversation. John simply fell into the other man's chest causing them to collapse in a post one-sited coital heap;

"Yes, I thought you may like that..." He said biting lightly on one of Johns nipples; "I know what you like Pete and you don't have to be afraid of it. I've watched you and I know your er, let's say, kinks. I know you want to be my big strong daddy whilst I'm your dirty little princess and I'm more than fine with that." He moved to straddle the man, "That and any other kinks you may have." Pete simply blinked,

"How did you…"

"Pete, I used to turn tricks for a living; I can spot a turn on a mile away."

"But I…"

"You're an X-man, you have no control over your everyday life so make up for it with a strong hand in the bedroom; you also love kids but you're gay so chances are aren't going to have one of your own. This coupled with the face that you're a massive sweetheart means that you want to be both firm but loving in the bedroom; the result? A slight daddy kink." Deciding there was no use in arguing with a "sexpert" such as John he simple leant up to meet him in a fiery kiss before rolling over an pinning the other man beneath him.

"You talk too much; let's see if I can't shut you up." John went rigid almost immediately;

"It's late; I think I'd better get going." Pete frowned as he watched his still fully clothed lover hop out of bed and reach for his jacket,

"What's wrong, did I say something?"

"No it's not you, it's just…"

"For fucks sake John, what is your problem? You've done this every time we start to fool around; you finish me off and then leave. What, am I not good enough for you?"

"No Pete you've got this all wrong,"

"Really, because it looks like you don't want me to see you naked." John looked to the floor, "Ohh, John is something wrong?"

"It's not…"

"Listen," he said moving from the bed to take the other man in his arms and carry him back to the bed, "I'm a six foot seven Russian who can turn his entire body into organic steel; you don't have to be body conscious around me. Just because I'm slightly larger than average doesn't mean that I expect you to be. I swear, no matter what size you are I'm not going to be disappointed." At this John broke into a fit of near hysteric laughter,

"You have got to be kidding me," he said between breaths; "No Pete. Just no." Once he had calmed down he resumed talking, "There are certain things about me that many guys just can't handle, and I really like you Pete so I thought that if I delayed letting you see me naked then you'd stick around longer. The guys I've been with liked to be in control and be the man, so when it turned out that I was more 'man' than they were, they couldn't handle it and may think it's silly but so many guys have broken up with me after sex, on the streets it got me money but now…"

"John, shut the fuck up. I don't care if you have a dick the size of a thimble or a massive ugly scar running from your toe to your balls, I just want to be with you and make you feel half as good as you made me feel." And with that, John acquiesced. Pitor groaned heartily and slid his tongue over the smaller man's lower lip, requesting entrance which was granted immediately. "Gonna make you feel so good," John felt talented fingers tug off his shirt and caress his chest; lips began to kiss his collar bone and suck feverishly on his nipples and before he knew what was happening John was moaning in earnest, silently begging Pete for more. As if on command the other man popped the button on his jeans and tugged them down, placing one last kiss on the fire bender's lips Pete smiled and sunk lower to peel of the remaining layer of clothing and take the member in his mouth; John braced for impact.

"Fuck me!" And there it was, the reaction John had been dreading; the same reaction of all his former lovers. Pushing away from Pete he pulled his pants back above his waist and jumped of the bed;

"Thanks a fucking lot," he mumbled almost to himself vainly trying to pull on his t-shirt with limited success.

"I'm sorry John; I didn't mean too it's just that you're…"

"Don't say it!"

"Huge." And there it was again, the one thing that had single handily ended 90% of John's relationships;

"Look if you can't handle it then I think I'll just go."

"No!" snapped Pete, his tone perhaps a little too harsh for their current situation. "Please don't go, I'd rather talk about this and get past it; I won't lose you again.

"Pete, this used to make me so much money when I was on the streets; I mean how many former prostitutes do you know with a good lifestyle? But after I quit hustling and sorted my life out all it seems to have done is drive people away; my last boyfriend is the only one who's ever been able to take it for an extended period, Bobby seemed OK with it but wouldn't let me fuck him. It's not a bad thing I suppose, but many guys can't cope with the fact that they aren't able to bottom or deep me… I guess it makes them feel like they aren't doing their part but believe me sex isn't that big a deal to me, once you've done it for money it loses a certain mystique. Pete exhaled and moved to scoop John in his arms,

"How many inches?" John squirmed beneath him but eventually gave in;

"Eleven… Eleven and a half." Pete chuckled,

"Looks like I have a challenge… I like a challenge." John felt lips on his neck once again and his was pants were dropped to his ankles; strong hands held his side and John was thrown to the bed somewhat painfully but any cries of pain were muffled when Johns lips ascended on his once more and he was straddled by the six foot sever Russian animal.

"You're sure?"

"Don't care how long it takes… I love you and we're going to make this work." He cast a glance in-between them before pulling Johns cock out of his pants; "even if it kills me." When John felt a warm mouth cover the head of his cock he threw back his head and moaned. It had been over a year since anyone had even attempted to pleasure him and it had been even longer since anyone had actually succeeded. John watched, captivated as Pete worked his dick with long hard strokes, drawing distinctive groans from the man's lips. At one point the Russian took a little more than he could swallow, literally and he ended up gagging on the first eight inches of John's member. Slightly impressed that he'd managed to go so deep and that he hadn't given up John kissed him and murmured words of encouragement in his ears in an attempt to brighten his slightly disheartened expression; his efforts were rewarded when Pete's dick became hard again under John's gentle ministrations. Grinning, John reached into the cabinet besides the other mans bed and withdrew the jar of lube he knew resided within; lathering a large amount onto both of their cocks he pulled Pete closer into him before rocking his hips in order to create a heavy friction between to two men.

"You're so fucking hot." John responded to this by scraping his nails down the Russians back and kissing his neck in earnest, biting and sucking in order to mark the man rutting above him. "Mine. All mine, John; mine." He growled as the slick tension created between the two bodies became almost unbearable, taking his hand, John gripped both of their cocks and began to pump them; slowly savouring each whimper that fell from his lovers perfect lips. Sensing that his boyfriend was near completion, John increased his moans, willing his lover to spill his seed once more; "Ohh yeah Baby," he whispered in the slightly raspy voice that he knew drove Pete wild with lust. "Just like that, you're so good to me. Make me feel so good, PETE!" The look on Pitor's face when he came was enough to make John lose all control, feeling his lovers come spurt over him and add to the lube already drowning their cock's was quite possibly the most amazing thing John had ever felt in his life; this combined with the whimpers and lamentations that sprung from the man forcefully pinning him to the bed was enough to send him over the edge. He came hard, coating both of their stomachs in cum as a final wail of pleasure fell from his mouth. With that, he went limp; breathing in excess he only came back to earth when he felt Pete licking the cum from his chest and biting a path to his mouth before planting a sloppy kiss on John's lips. The taste of Semen colouring his taste buds, John wrapped his arms around his lover and pulled him down; moving so that he was lay comfortably on the larger man's chest. Pitor was panting beneath him and was cover in sweat and come; he looked beautiful.

"I feel like I should say something, but I don't want to ruin the moment." John laughed and kissed his boyfriend's chest,

"Perhaps we should get a shower; you're covered in… me." Pete simply shrugged and leant over to pull the cover, which had previously been discarded, over their naked bodies.

"I kind of like being covered in you; and besides don't think I have the energy to move."

"You think that was good, Just wait for Friday. You'll be comatose for a month." Pete's hands started stroking Johns hair, moving in small circular motions that made him want to purr;

"Can't you give me an early birthday present; we can skip the game tomorrow and just lie in bed all…"

"No, it's mandatory, and I'm sure you can wait two days. Besides, I want to spoil you on your birthday, take you out for some good food have some drinks, a few laughs. And guess what, I even rented a car for the night so you don't have to ride on my motorcycle."

"Can I drive it?"

"Of course you can. I also have a couple of surprises for the day after your birthday as well…" Pete raised an eyebrow,

"What kind of surprises?"

"Let's just say that by Monday I won't be able to walk in a straight line and you my friend will be a very happy man." With a smile plastered to his face, Pete reached over and flicked off the small light that had been laminating the room and grabbed the remote, turning off the television that had been muted since he began seducing his boyfriend.

"You know, we could always go another round; I've allways wanted to score three timed in one night…"

"Shut up and go to sleep. We have to play sports in the morning and I'm no expert but I think it involved doing some form of physical activity," John yawned and curled further into his boyfriend, "And besides my top number for one night is seven times and I really don't have the energy tonight. No offence."

"Seven times, you little whore!"

"What can I say, my ex was a dynamo. Now shush, if you want me awake before noon we need to get to sleep sometime within the next thirty seconds." Pete laughed and kissed John on the forehead,

"Night John. I love you"

"Goodight, Pete."


	10. The Morning After

_This is just a quick chapter I added to fill the story out- besides, I think it's cute. Nothing particularly happens, except for a bit of the emotional love stuff we all adore and some early morning cooking- so yeah... Enjoy! 3_

_HLW xx  
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><p>John groaned moved closer to the warmth radiating from his left, he was wrapped in Piotr's arms and covered in the dried reminence of their former escapades. Rubbing his eyes he pressed a kiss to the other man's chest and slipped out of his grasp. Throwing on one of his lover's oversized shirts which on him doubled as a nightgown and a pair of boxers he looked in the mirror; his feet were still bare and his hair slightly mussed from an amazing night's sleep, shrugging he left the room and headed in the direction of the kitchen to make his boyfriend breakfast. Hopefully he would be so grateful that they could shower together before match. Walking into the kitchen, he yawned sleepily and opened the fridge to browse its content, removing a large pack of sausages, bacon, vine tomatoes and a dozen eggs he set the meat on the grill before finding a large tin of beans in the cupboard and forming several hash browns from the bag of potatoes left under the sink. Turning on the radio, John set about making breakfast in his usual manner; loudly. It occurred to him for a second that he was slightly underdressed for a school but it was a Sunday so no-one would be awake at 6:30am. Putting the sausages and bacon under the grill, John froze as his song came on the radio- everybody knew that this was his jam, everybody. Even at work if this song, or any other song by these guys came on the sound system, John would stop whatever he was doing and shit would get serious; he would go to work and twerk, he couldn't help it. He looked around in vain as his body began to move against his will, one ass cheek moved, then the other, then both at the same time… This shit was about to go down. Fuck you Ying Yang Twins, fuck you and your salt shaker! He thought and his knees began to brace and his ass pop like a fire cracker. It was inevitable, he was about to make it rain inside a school at 6:30 in the morning whilst cooking breakfast. If he had an ounce of dignity he would probably contain himself, but that wasn't about to happen. It wasn't that John was camp, hell he your average alpha male, floating screaming queens weren't his thing but dancing like a fool whilst cooking? That was totally his thing. he was stirring the beans when a cooking the eggs when he decided to break out his classic dance moves , the robot, the moonwalk, the hairwhip, the surprise blowjob and the wave, he was half way through an extremely skilled running man when several coughing sounds came from the doorway. Whirling around with an extremely cheesy grin on his face he saw Bobby, Ororo, Dazzler, Jubilee and Logan all in various stated of morning attire.<p>

"Hey guys, take a seat. Breakfast is almost ready." Returning to the fridge he withdrew a bag of oranges and started squeezing the juice whilst simultaneously setting a pot of tea on the hob and putting fresh beans and a filter coffee in the machine. Several minutes later, a soft whistle came from the tea pot and a hum from the coffee machine, John poured the freshly squeezed orange into a large pitcher and was pleasantly surprised when he found the beaker all but full with the liquid. Saving some food for Piotr and himself, John put the remainder onto serving platters and buttered the toast (of which he had vade various kinds, white, brown, seeded and grain.) Still singing, he withdrew a large stack of plates and cutlery placing them in front of the early risers; each of whom wore identical expressions of confusion (apart from bobby who was extremely turned on by how beautiful John looked in the morning and ogled the man's legs as the long shirt created the illusion that he wore nothing underneath.) Placing various, mouth-watering platters of breakfast foods in front of the X-men, John moved to get the tea pot, coffee pot and orange jug which he also placed in front of the now wary crime fighters before returning with glasses and cups for the tea.

"Someone's very happy this morning." He heard Ororo say as he moved to the dining table for the last time carrying the toast platter,

"Well it's a nice day outside and I got my first publication cheque through. Besides, can't a guy treat the people he only kinda knows to breakfast? Ohh and sorry about the lack of apple juice, there were only orange's in the crisper."

"I didn't know you could cook," said Bobby as the team began shovelling food on to their plates and John began to load the dishwasher,

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Bobby sniggered,

"C'mon John, if anyone in this mansion knows more about you than I do I'll eat my left arm." John closed the washer and raised an eyebrow, catching dazzler kicking Bobby under the table.

"Ohh yeah?"

"Yeah,"

"I'll take that bet. What's my middle name?" At the iceman's expression darkened and Storm let out a hearty laugh,

"Ermm…"

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Jason?" John rolled his eyes,

"Care to enlighten our poor little Bobby so that we can all laugh as he is forced to eat his arm, Ororo?" John's eye's sparkled with mischief and in that moment, Bobby realised why he loved the other man all over again.

"It's Luca, your middle name is Luca. And thank you John, I must say usually we just grab a piece of toast and head out but this is truly delicious; you never fail to surprise me." John smiled as the others murmured their agreement, even Logan looked impressed.

"Well, if I'm going to be eating your food instead of stuffing my face in my own apartment, the least I can do is cook for you all."

"Yes, John where are you here so early classes have been cancelled today… and is that Pete's shirt you're wearing?" John frowned as he realised that Kitty was in his class and as such was the only person in the room who didn't know about his relationship with Pete (if Dazzler's amused expression was anything to go by.) John reached into his brain for a list of excuses and came up with one in record time,

"I didn't really want to drive back here this morning as I knew I'd be late if I slept at my place so Pete suggested I say with him for the night, the couch in his room is a pull out bed." John smiled politely as Kitty instantly believed the lie; shooting a wink towards Bobby he loaded the tray with his own breakfast and a plate for Pete before loading two cups of OJ and tea as well.

"Wow, you're hungry this morning." It was Kitty again; this girl would just not quit! Her inquisitive nature and keen mind was earning her top marks in his class, but damn this girl is hard to lie to and truth be told the extra attention put into his own and Pitor's breakfast was noticeable to even the most remedial of people. John feigned a laugh,

"Half of this if for Mr Rasputin as a thank you for his hospitality, it wouldn't be proper of me to leave without a parting gift after he helped me out now would it?" Kitty simply smiled and accepted the man's excuse once more, John received another litany of thanks and praises (even from Logan who seemed to accept the food as a peace offering of sorts) then left the room to return to his sleeping giant.

Upon returning to the room, John saw that Pete was still asleep. His lover was sprawled luxuriously on the bed with the covers strewn revealingly around his waist. Setting the breakfast down on the bedside table the fire manipulator moved atop his lover and settled his thighs either side of the man's hips and kissing him on the lips. Pete growled in response and opened his eyes,

"Good morning, darling." John responded by kissing his lover's neck and biting down slightly on the point he knew made Pitor groan. "I made you breakfast," He said into the man's neck.

"I can see that," replied Pete "I didn't know you could cook; I may have to keep you." John pouted and slapped Pete on the chest with little force,

"Way to make a guy feel loved." Pete wrapped his arms around John's torso and squeezed,

"It looks wonderful, thank you." Moving to collect the tray John noticed Pete's eyes roaming his body hungrily,

"Aren't you wearing a bit too much clothing? Don't get me wrong, seeing you in my clothes is a total turn on but seeing you naked would be even better." Placing the tray on the other man's lap John divested himself of all clothing and slid back into the bed where Pitor passed him a plate and began to eat. After Pete had finished eating John was pulled into a deep kiss that as usual brought moans to his lips. He was turning into such a porn star. "You're so good to me," John felt his cheeks turn red, which was strange because John hardly ever felt embarrassed (turning tricks on the street with a pimp named Leon tended to knock that out of you,) he quite liked it. Pete made him feel innocent and clean. "I mean it you know, a lesser man would have gone running for the hills after all of the times I've fucked up but you've stayed. I don't deserve you John." At this John practically swooned, his past relationships had always been hot and passionate; no one had ever spoken of feeling and emotion; this was dangerous territory. "I love you."

John froze, he had actively refrained from using the 'L word' ever since he and Pete had reunited the first time following the Bobby incident; to his recollection Pete had said it once since and that was only because he was post-blowjob. John was weary at first that Pete had only said the words in a post-orgasmic haze so had replied with some round-about statement so as not to offend him but even then he had been cautious. Come to think of it, the Russian had used the words freely on several occasions but John had continued the trend and only replied with "I know" or "you too." It wasn't that he didn't love Pete, it was just that something bad ALLWAYS seemed to happen when he said those words. As if sensing the tension in his body Pete held him close, "Don't worry. I'm not going to rush you into saying anything you're not ready to say; I can wait until you're ready." John frowned and clung to Pete,

"It's not that, it's just every time I say it something bad happens and if I tell you that I love you and then something does happen, I don't know if I'll be able to get over it again. I want to say it, it's just…" Pete moved the tray off the bed and pulled John even closer,

"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

"Remember what happened last time you made a promise that you couldn't keep?" Pete's body went rigid around him, "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that; it was tactless." The Russian shook his head and released his grasp on John, moving so that he was lay down with his back to the other man;

"Why are you sorry, you're right. I don't deserve you." Pete felt hands grasp at his back and slowly slide down his sides in soothing motions,

"I'm sorry, Pete." Pressing himself against his lover John continued his ministrations, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I do love you. I love your smile, your dimples, your strong arms, your little bubble butt, even your annoyingly perfect chest. I love everything about you; you're perfect." Pete flipped over and cupped the other man's head in his hands,

"I won't let anything happen to you. Ever." John smiled and kissed him on the lips,

"Come on big man, let's get a shower. I'm still covered in last night…" Pete grinned, remembering how content he had felt just lying there last night with John he scooped his love into his arms and carried him bridal style into the bathroom with one thought running through his mind; _I can't let anything bad happen to him. Not now. _


	11. Pushing Me Away

Team building exercises were common place within the X-men so a two teamed game of upperclassmen and teacher baseball wasn't an extraordinary occurrence. As it transpired Pete and John ended up on Storm's team, as did Bobby, Dazzler, Magma, Psylocke and Jean. Opposing them was Logan, Jubilee, Cyclops, Firestar, Kitty, Rogue and Hank. John had no idea why he was being forced to play, he was afterall 'retired' as an X-man; he just taught English. Fair enough, he had volunteered his services if the team was ever in dire need of them but as of yet that had never happened which left John to wonder what exactly he was doing playing baseball dressed in black skinny jeans and a tight fitting t-shirt (the only clothes he had left in Pete's room that were not completely soiled by the excess amount of sexual activity that had transpired within the last few days.) John cheered as his big Russian teddy bear hit a home run and returned to give John a conspiratorial wink. As a general rule John sucked at sports, literally. He was awful. The most he's ever managed to do before was stop mystique from putting in mini-golf by knocking her club with his foot, but today he was on fire! The previously sport-phobic fire bender had managed to score two home runs and not been balled out… he was impressed. Following Pete up to the batting diamond, he stood feet slightly apart as Scott threw the ball towards him at it connected to the bat with an almighty crack, John ran with vibrations still veering through his arms and managed to score yet another home run. Pete celebrated by giving him a cheeky smile and grabbing his bottom hard enough to make him yelp. John simply laughed and tried once again to quash the uneasy feeling that was rising within his stomach; no sooner had the thoughts run through his head did Jean stop the game. Logan was sniffing the air and snarling,

"Something's coming, smells like trouble..." John sighed and buried his head in his hands,

"Oh course it is, for fucks sake is the entire world against me?" Pete smiled lopsidedly and placed a protective hand on John's shoulder.

"Stay close to me." The fire bender simply sighed and sat on the bench behind them, whatever was coming their way John only intended to sit there and watch the professional's take care of it. They were the crime fighters, he was just a teacher. Taking a swig of the water he'd taken to the match he almost choked when Logan's body rose into the air before their eyes and was flung somewhere in the opposite direction,

"Fuck." John knew that there was only one possible explanation for that, Erik was here. Sweating profusely, John cast about for an escape route only to find that there was only one and it was blocked by an extraordinarily large group of Brotherhood mutants; he was screwed. The man paused, what was Magneto doing here? What was the brotherhood doing here? Admittedly, they were violent and more than a little deranged but the group as a whole had never been the type to pick a fight for no reason… They wanted something. John gulped as Mystique walked forwards with Magneto by her side; ever since she had been abandoned by the man years earlier something had changed in their group dynamic, she was now an equal instead of a subordinate. The brotherhood belonged to these two mutants and due to the fact that Mystique was aging at a severely reduced rate he suspected that one day it would be only hers. The X-men formed a straight lined fighting stance whilst John was still perched precariously on the bench,

"I've come to take you home, dearest!" John's eyes widened as he realised that the metal manipulator was talking to him, the eyes of each X-man snapped to him in a similar state of confusion.

"Erik, I…"

"You've wasted enough time with these traitor's, Pyro. It's time to return to your family… We will take you by force if necessary." This time it was Mystique who spoke and John would be damned if he missed the way her gaze wondered to Pete who was stood in full metal form with his fellow X-men. John stood and walked towards the terrorists,

"I told you last time you contacted me that I wasn't interested anymore, Erik. We're over, I left you remember?" The older man snorted.

"You must be delusional if you think that you could ever leave me, John. You belong to me." Now it was john's turn to laugh, he knew that Erik would never hurt him and he would be dammed if he was going to slip willingly back into his old ways.

"No Erik, I don't belong to you. This was always the problem, you treated me like a possession instead of a lover and I got sick of it. Anyway none of that matters now because I'm happy here and I really don't need to get sucked back into any of your mutant supremacy shit. I've got someone else and I'm happy so I think you should just leave." The cult leaders' eyes turned murderous,

"I think you underestimate the depth of my wanting, John. I will leave here with you even if I have to kill each one of your little friends and make you watch, you've sewn your wild oats and now it is time to return to me. This is your last chance to come willingly or else we will be forced to take action, when we got the report that you were active again I knew we had to find you; you don't belong here cooped up with them doing good, I know you Pyro. You need to run free, you need to be fuelled and allowed to burn; not subdued by morality, justice and a six foot seven Russian play thing." Pete snarled from behind his lover, "One last chance to come peacefully, Pyro. If you refuse we will take action against you."

"No."

"Then so be it." Magneto raised a hand and mutants came pouring from either side of him, "TAKE THE BOY ALIVE!" he yelled as the team kicked into action. Hideously outnumbered the X-men put up one hell of a fight, John created circles of fire to entrap several mutants, manipulating the flames in an attempt to increase the amount of smoke given off to put his enemy's into a comatose state; succeeding with several high class mutants John was forced to switch tactics as he came face to face with Sabertooth.

"Come on Johnny; remember the fun we had together? Don't pretend that you've not been missing me." John swore,

"Back off Toothy, you've been like a brother to me and I really don't want to hurt you. Please just leave."

"You know I can't do that, not until you're back with us."

"Then so be it." Flicking the Zippo he carried upon his person at all times, John sent several jets of fire zooming at his former friend, and each one was expertly dodged by the other man's killer instincts. John felt razor sharp claws dig into his neck and throw him backwards into the wire mesh enclosing the diamond; he heard Pete yell his name but had no chance to respond as a fist connected to his jaw and he was forced upwards by his hair.

"Don't make me hurt you any more, Jonny. You belong with us." A pair of hands enclosed around his throat and pulled him into the air, John felt his vision begin to fade as his air supply was being cut off by the mammoth of a man,

"FUCK YOU!" John knew that it was now or never, he couldn't reach his zippo and had only had limited success with creating fire organically; drawing on everything he had learned in his private lessons with the professor he drew in as much air as possible and created a small ball of fire directly above them, willing it to grow before he blacked out he turned the fire on the animal holding his throat and let it ravage his body; the man let go with a yelp but John kept it burning until he was little more than a heap of molten flesh on the floor. His healing factor would eventually piece him back together but it would be painful. Satisfied, John whirled around to see the other X-men in various stages of combat, Bobby was struggling with several mutants trying to overpower his ice skills but Storm was already assisting him, Scott and Jean made an excellent team and along with Dazzler had effectively levelled half of the brotherhood forces; but where was Pete? John looked around to see Pitor engaged in a vicious brawl with Mystique.

"Shit!" As powerful as Pete was physically, he was no match for the woman's years of experience and she was beating him to a pulp delivering blow after blow, she had already shattered one of the man's knee caps with one of her well placed metallic bullets and after a series of ferocious blows Pete was reduced to his human form and lay unconscious on the floor. The shape shifter stood over the Russian and withdrew her gun, cocking it she placed it over the man's forehead and shifted her eyes back to John in a silent question; _do you surrender? _

"NO!" He screamed as all of the action stopped to regard the sceptical before them, "Don't kill him." Mystique raised an eyebrow and tilted her chin upwards, "I'll come with you just please, don't hurt him." Walking towards her John raised his hands in surrender, "Please Ray, don't do it." She nodded her agreement,

"Let's go." Feeling a firm hand on his shoulder he turned around,

"Please, don't go. It's not supposed to end this way," It was Bobby, "Seriously John, don't give in we can still win this!"

"Yeah, but at the cost of Pete's life…" looking at the faces of the other X-men he knew that he was making the right decision, "Look at them Bobby; what do their faces tell you? It's obvious that they'd rather see me leave than let Pete die and I agree with them. I'm a former traitor and an English teacher, what's that compared to Pete? He's dedicated his life to the X-men and I'm not going to let him die; I'd rather go back to being a terrorist that watch him get shot in the head."

"We don't want you to go back to them," this time it was Storm who spoke.

"Then what would you have me do? I stay and he gets shot, would you rather I stay and we can all watch him die?" She looked away,

"We'll save you." At this John actually had the mirth to laugh,

"No you won't. You'll try at first but eventually give up when it's too hard to find me, or Pete will give up because it's too much pain or Bobby will give up because he's moved on to someone else. I should have learned my lesson after the last time; I have no place with the X-men. You didn't try to save me then and you won't try to save me this time, you act like you will but I can see it in your eyes; pushing me to leave. You're all the same, making promises that you can't keep in an attempt to push hope on the world but it is hope that will kill me and after this I think it's safe to say that there is no hope left. Not for me anyway." Turning away from the woman he walked over to his former allies', by this point Mystique had lowered her gun and was signalling the retreat; "Tell him to look in my overnight bag," he said to no one in particular. A strong wind picked up around the feel as a helicopter hovered above them, the majority of the lower mutants had already fled at Mystique's signal so the only ones who remained were the blue lady herself, Magneto and a very burnt Sabertooth. Leaning over the body of his unconscious lover, John closed his eyes and sought something inside himself. He sought the place his mind used to go whenever he picked up a new client on the streets, the place he went to whenever he was forced by the brotherhood to commit crimes, the place he went to during sex. A place where everything was about survival, desire and rage. Opening his eyes he ceased to be John and became Pyro once more; throwing one last placid look at the mutants behind him he boarded the helicopter and left the diamond.


	12. Something Bad Always Happens

_This is just a quick chapter I added to fill the story out- besides, I think it's cute. Nothing particularly happens, except for a bit of the emotional love stuff we all adore and some early morning cooking- so yeah... Enjoy! 3_

_HLW xx  
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><p>John groaned moved closer to the warmth radiating from his left, he was wrapped in Piotr's arms and covered in the dried reminence of their former escapades. Rubbing his eyes he pressed a kiss to the other man's chest and slipped out of his grasp. Throwing on one of his lover's oversized shirts which on him doubled as a nightgown and a pair of boxers he looked in the mirror; his feet were still bare and his hair slightly mussed from an amazing night's sleep, shrugging he left the room and headed in the direction of the kitchen to make his boyfriend breakfast. Hopefully he would be so grateful that they could shower together before match. Walking into the kitchen, he yawned sleepily and opened the fridge to browse its content, removing a large pack of sausages, bacon, vine tomatoes and a dozen eggs he set the meat on the grill before finding a large tin of beans in the cupboard and forming several hash browns from the bag of potatoes left under the sink. Turning on the radio, John set about making breakfast in his usual manner; loudly. It occurred to him for a second that he was slightly underdressed for a school but it was a Sunday so no-one would be awake at 6:30am. Putting the sausages and bacon under the grill, John froze as his song came on the radio- everybody knew that this was his jam, everybody. Even at work if this song, or any other song by these guys came on the sound system, John would stop whatever he was doing and shit would get serious; he would go to work and twerk, he couldn't help it. He looked around in vain as his body began to move against his will, one ass cheek moved, then the other, then both at the same time… This shit was about to go down. Fuck you Ying Yang Twins, fuck you and your salt shaker! He thought and his knees began to brace and his ass pop like a fire cracker. It was inevitable, he was about to make it rain inside a school at 6:30 in the morning whilst cooking breakfast. If he had an ounce of dignity he would probably contain himself, but that wasn't about to happen. It wasn't that John was camp, hell he your average alpha male, floating screaming queens weren't his thing but dancing like a fool whilst cooking? That was totally his thing. he was stirring the beans when a cooking the eggs when he decided to break out his classic dance moves , the robot, the moonwalk, the hairwhip, the surprise blowjob and the wave, he was half way through an extremely skilled running man when several coughing sounds came from the doorway. Whirling around with an extremely cheesy grin on his face he saw Bobby, Ororo, Dazzler, Jubilee and Logan all in various stated of morning attire.<p>

"Hey guys, take a seat. Breakfast is almost ready." Returning to the fridge he withdrew a bag of oranges and started squeezing the juice whilst simultaneously setting a pot of tea on the hob and putting fresh beans and a filter coffee in the machine. Several minutes later, a soft whistle came from the tea pot and a hum from the coffee machine, John poured the freshly squeezed orange into a large pitcher and was pleasantly surprised when he found the beaker all but full with the liquid. Saving some food for Piotr and himself, John put the remainder onto serving platters and buttered the toast (of which he had vade various kinds, white, brown, seeded and grain.) Still singing, he withdrew a large stack of plates and cutlery placing them in front of the early risers; each of whom wore identical expressions of confusion (apart from bobby who was extremely turned on by how beautiful John looked in the morning and ogled the man's legs as the long shirt created the illusion that he wore nothing underneath.) Placing various, mouth-watering platters of breakfast foods in front of the X-men, John moved to get the tea pot, coffee pot and orange jug which he also placed in front of the now wary crime fighters before returning with glasses and cups for the tea.

"Someone's very happy this morning." He heard Ororo say as he moved to the dining table for the last time carrying the toast platter,

"Well it's a nice day outside and I got my first publication cheque through. Besides, can't a guy treat the people he only kinda knows to breakfast? Ohh and sorry about the lack of apple juice, there were only orange's in the crisper."

"I didn't know you could cook," said Bobby as the team began shovelling food on to their plates and John began to load the dishwasher,

"There's a lot you don't know about me." Bobby sniggered,

"C'mon John, if anyone in this mansion knows more about you than I do I'll eat my left arm." John closed the washer and raised an eyebrow, catching dazzler kicking Bobby under the table.

"Ohh yeah?"

"Yeah,"

"I'll take that bet. What's my middle name?" At the iceman's expression darkened and Storm let out a hearty laugh,

"Ermm…"

"Cat got your tongue?"

"Jason?" John rolled his eyes,

"Care to enlighten our poor little Bobby so that we can all laugh as he is forced to eat his arm, Ororo?" John's eye's sparkled with mischief and in that moment, Bobby realised why he loved the other man all over again.

"It's Luca, your middle name is Luca. And thank you John, I must say usually we just grab a piece of toast and head out but this is truly delicious; you never fail to surprise me." John smiled as the others murmured their agreement, even Logan looked impressed.

"Well, if I'm going to be eating your food instead of stuffing my face in my own apartment, the least I can do is cook for you all."

"Yes, John where are you here so early classes have been cancelled today… and is that Pete's shirt you're wearing?" John frowned as he realised that Kitty was in his class and as such was the only person in the room who didn't know about his relationship with Pete (if Dazzler's amused expression was anything to go by.) John reached into his brain for a list of excuses and came up with one in record time,

"I didn't really want to drive back here this morning as I knew I'd be late if I slept at my place so Pete suggested I say with him for the night, the couch in his room is a pull out bed." John smiled politely as Kitty instantly believed the lie; shooting a wink towards Bobby he loaded the tray with his own breakfast and a plate for Pete before loading two cups of OJ and tea as well.

"Wow, you're hungry this morning." It was Kitty again; this girl would just not quit! Her inquisitive nature and keen mind was earning her top marks in his class, but damn this girl is hard to lie to and truth be told the extra attention put into his own and Pitor's breakfast was noticeable to even the most remedial of people. John feigned a laugh,

"Half of this if for Mr Rasputin as a thank you for his hospitality, it wouldn't be proper of me to leave without a parting gift after he helped me out now would it?" Kitty simply smiled and accepted the man's excuse once more, John received another litany of thanks and praises (even from Logan who seemed to accept the food as a peace offering of sorts) then left the room to return to his sleeping giant.

Upon returning to the room, John saw that Pete was still asleep. His lover was sprawled luxuriously on the bed with the covers strewn revealingly around his waist. Setting the breakfast down on the bedside table the fire manipulator moved atop his lover and settled his thighs either side of the man's hips and kissing him on the lips. Pete growled in response and opened his eyes,

"Good morning, darling." John responded by kissing his lover's neck and biting down slightly on the point he knew made Pitor groan. "I made you breakfast," He said into the man's neck.

"I can see that," replied Pete "I didn't know you could cook; I may have to keep you." John pouted and slapped Pete on the chest with little force,

"Way to make a guy feel loved." Pete wrapped his arms around John's torso and squeezed,

"It looks wonderful, thank you." Moving to collect the tray John noticed Pete's eyes roaming his body hungrily,

"Aren't you wearing a bit too much clothing? Don't get me wrong, seeing you in my clothes is a total turn on but seeing you naked would be even better." Placing the tray on the other man's lap John divested himself of all clothing and slid back into the bed where Pitor passed him a plate and began to eat. After Pete had finished eating John was pulled into a deep kiss that as usual brought moans to his lips. He was turning into such a porn star. "You're so good to me," John felt his cheeks turn red, which was strange because John hardly ever felt embarrassed (turning tricks on the street with a pimp named Leon tended to knock that out of you,) he quite liked it. Pete made him feel innocent and clean. "I mean it you know, a lesser man would have gone running for the hills after all of the times I've fucked up but you've stayed. I don't deserve you John." At this John practically swooned, his past relationships had always been hot and passionate; no one had ever spoken of feeling and emotion; this was dangerous territory. "I love you."

John froze, he had actively refrained from using the 'L word' ever since he and Pete had reunited the first time following the Bobby incident; to his recollection Pete had said it once since and that was only because he was post-blowjob. John was weary at first that Pete had only said the words in a post-orgasmic haze so had replied with some round-about statement so as not to offend him but even then he had been cautious. Come to think of it, the Russian had used the words freely on several occasions but John had continued the trend and only replied with "I know" or "you too." It wasn't that he didn't love Pete, it was just that something bad ALLWAYS seemed to happen when he said those words. As if sensing the tension in his body Pete held him close, "Don't worry. I'm not going to rush you into saying anything you're not ready to say; I can wait until you're ready." John frowned and clung to Pete,

"It's not that, it's just every time I say it something bad happens and if I tell you that I love you and then something does happen, I don't know if I'll be able to get over it again. I want to say it, it's just…" Pete moved the tray off the bed and pulled John even closer,

"I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. I promise."

"Remember what happened last time you made a promise that you couldn't keep?" Pete's body went rigid around him, "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that; it was tactless." The Russian shook his head and released his grasp on John, moving so that he was lay down with his back to the other man;

"Why are you sorry, you're right. I don't deserve you." Pete felt hands grasp at his back and slowly slide down his sides in soothing motions,

"I'm sorry, Pete." Pressing himself against his lover John continued his ministrations, "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me and I do love you. I love your smile, your dimples, your strong arms, your little bubble butt, even your annoyingly perfect chest. I love everything about you; you're perfect." Pete flipped over and cupped the other man's head in his hands,

"I won't let anything happen to you. Ever." John smiled and kissed him on the lips,

"Come on big man, let's get a shower. I'm still covered in last night…" Pete grinned, remembering how content he had felt just lying there last night with John he scooped his love into his arms and carried him bridal style into the bathroom with one thought running through his mind; _I can't let anything bad happen to him. Not now. _


	13. It All Ends Here

Pete awoke with a deadening thump coursing through his conscious mind, the headaches were always a by-product of the psychic surgery Jean and the professor would have been forced to perform on him after Mystique had shattered his kneecap. Twitching his leg he was pleasantly surprised to feel no pain, just a slight swelling and a barely visible scar.

"Welcome back," Pete smiled,

"Hey Jean, what happened?" She sighed and moved a chair beside his bed where she took a seat.

"What do you remember?" Piotr thought back to the event,

"We were playing Baseball and then suddenly the Brotherhood attacked, they said that they wanted John but he said no and then all hell broke loose. I remember trying to help him when he was cornered by Sabertooth but I got my ass handed to me by Mystique... that's all I remember." Looking around, he noticed that he was the only one in the infirmary; there was no doubt in his mind that John would have stayed with him until he woke up so his absence was curious. "Where's John?" Jean stiffened beside him,

"It's not your fault, Pete. There was no way we could have stopped that many of them, and Mystique had bullets that could pierce your metal form; it was a wonder no one was killed." His blood went cold,

"Cut the crap, Jean. Where is he?"

"He left,"

"What do you mean he left? He wouldn't… No, No he wouldn't leave with them. Not again, He H-He wouldn't!" Jean sighed and touched her hand to the side of his head,

"Let me show you." Pete closed his eyes and was transported back to the scene of the baseball match, he saw himself lying defeated on the ground and a yell of protest was ripped from John's mouth.

"I'll come with you just please, don't hurt him." Walking towards her John raised his hands in surrender, "Please Ray, don't do it." He was leaving to save him, Bobby tried to stop him but there was no way he would let Pete suffer; "I'd rather go back to being a terrorist that watch him get shot in the head." The scene continued and John walked over to the extremist mutants in surrender as Mystique lowered he gun,

"We'll save you." Says Storm, John laughs.

"No you won't. You'll try at first but eventually give up when it's too hard to find me, or Pete will give up because it's too much pain or Bobby will give up because he's moved on to someone else. I should have learned my lesson after the last time; I have no place with the X-men. You didn't try to save me then and you won't try to save me this time, you act like you will but I can see it in your eyes; pushing me to leave. You're all the same, making promises that you can't keep in an attempt to push hope on the world but it is hope that will kill me and after this I think it's safe to say that there is no hope left. Not for me anyway." _Making promises that you can't keep… There is no hope left._ Pete felt tears welling in his eyes; those words were aimed at him. He had promised John that he would be safe and that he would never let anything happen to him, but once again he had failed and John ended up protecting him; saving his life. "Tell him to look in my overnight bag," Letting out a growl of frustration Pete ripped the IV drip out of his arm and stormed out of the infirmary,

"Pete, Pete WAIT!" Ignoring the girl's cries for attention he stormed up to his room and slammed the door, John's clothes still lay in a neat pile on his desk and the bed still had a very John like indentation. _Making promises that you can't keep. _ Pete roared and sank to his knees, _there is no hope left, not for me now._ How could John think that the X-men wouldn't try every possible way, exhaust every avenue to save him from the brotherhood? It was the look in John's eyes when he had left with Magneto that scared him the most; it was like all of the fun, joyous, loving energy that made John so perfect had dissipated and all that remained was the cocky, angry, self-serving Pyro who had been John's only way to survive for so many years. Forcing himself to his feet, Pete staggered into the bathroom to retrieve his former boyfriend's night bag before returning to his bed and emptying the content. Inside, he found a letter, a toothbrush, some Raspberry shampoo, Vanilla conditioner and a key. Flipping open the letter, John's neat scrawl filled the page before him,

_Pete,_

_If you are reading this letter then it means, as I predicted, that something bad has happened to me and I am no longer around. As I don't know the specifics of the situation I am not going to guess but let me just say that I do not blame you under any circumstances. Promises of safety are all well and good, but they were made lightly and I know that you did everything you could to try and keep me safe. Unfortunately things don't always happen the way we plan them. Tomorrow is your birthday and since you're reading this letter it means that I am not going to be there to celebrate with you which I regret terribly, inside this bag you will find a key for my apartment. I was going to ask you to move in with me but as I am no longer here the apartment is yours. It is fully paid for and there is no mortgage. Inside you will find a transfer of deed that was intended to put your name on the ownership records, I have already signed it so all you need to do it sign on the dotted line and send it to the solicitors who will confirm the transaction. It's in the filing cabinet beside my desk. All that I ask is that you take my last two manuscripts to my publishers so that my series will not end without a conclusion; the finished products are on my desk marked The Prince' and 'The Queen.' Please see them published and make sure to feed my cat (Tibbles). I am sorry that we didn't work out, Pete. _

_My days with you were the best of my life, you made me feel pure and loved. You are the only person who has seen past all that I have done and loved me for me and for that I thank you. You mean more to me than anyone could ever hope to and I hope that no matter what you know how much I love you and will always love you. _

_Don't blame yourself for this, Pete. After all of the sin's that I have committed throughout my life I deserve what ever has happened to me; I could try to repent and do good but at the end of the day I couldn't hope to escape my past. You deserve the best of everything in the world and I wanted to be the one to give it to you but it seems that we are not going to make it far enough for that to happen. _

_Please keep safe, and remember that you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Just because this happened after I told you that I loved you doesn't mean... Regardless, I have to go now but Pete believe me when I tell you that I love you and if we never meet again you'll always have this letter. Goodbye, Pete. _

_Love always,_

_John. _

Pete growled in frustration, why did this have to happen? Why is it that every time something good happens in life, something else has to come along and fuck it all up? Wiping his eyes to stop the tears he crawled into bed; his fatigue was growing fast. Formulating ways to rescue his beloved he fell into a fitful sleep, _I must get him back. _

"No more, please no more!" The pain was unbearable; John gritted his teeth and tried to breathe as he was slammed into once more. The brotherhood was relentless, as punishment for abandoning them John was forced into subterfuge and kept as Magneto's 'pleasure slave;' being used and fucked as a reward for mutants who further their supremacist agenda. Everything was a haze, the fire manipulator's vision was nothing but a blur and emotions seemed somehow indistinguishable from one another as a cocktail of designer drugs coursed through his system keeping him placid whilst yet another faceless mutant pounded into John's already beaten asshole.

"Yeah, you like that don't cha you little cockslut? Yeah, take it. God you're tight." Muttered the mutant, John grimaced; or at least he thinks he did, the drugs keep him pretty lucid so for all he knows he could be encouraging this. Throughout it all he thinks of Pete, Pretends it's Pete's strong hands gripping him and not this mutants disfigured digits, pretends it's Pete muttering words of encouragement in his ear and not this guy's dull tones calling him a bitch and a slut as he pounds mercilessly into him. But he can't pretend for too long; Pete would have been gentle, Pete would have made sure he felt good. Pete would have cared. For a moment he considers trying to resist this, resist the man jackrabbiting away inside him but his body won't respond. Won't let him stop so he tries to clench, tries to tighten his muscles around this thing in an attempt to hurt him… it only spurs him on. He comes two thrusts later and John figures that as long as he stopped, that's all that really matters. When he leaves, the man throws a bunch of twenties in John's direction and asks him when his next appointment is. John shrugs and lies there, beaten and flat. Unable to control his own body. His thoughts still work, however, still remind him of what he's doing to himself; that's he's better than this but the drugs keep him still, keep him controllable. Most of the time he isn't even awake, isn't even conscious enough to know he's being fucked until a hand grabs his head and force a dick down his throat only to come all over his face seconds later. He's lucky those times, doesn't have to feel it. Doesn't have to live through the pain. This time he wasn't lucky, perhaps he'd request more drugs… Something stronger to dull the ache of living or perhaps they would invent a new drug. A drug to stem the pain being a whore when you know that you're worth more than a fist full of twenties. Either way, something to stop him feeling. "It is hope that will kill me," he had said, and it was hope he must resist. He was alone. He was scared. He was beaten. An aggravated sigh left John's mouth as a gurgle and he rolled over try and force the drugs out of his system, with vomit spilling on the floor besides the weak construction they call his bed. The guy had gone bareback and John could feel semen dripping from his hole, he used to love that feeling but now… Now it just felt dirty, rancid, like a betrayal to his love. Closing his eyes, John forced his body into slumber, _I will sleep; _he thought. _ I will forget. _

Days blended into months which blended once more into one another leaving nothing more than into a rush of sensations, each as putrid as the last still a little under a year after his initial return John finally found himself able to function; able to control his own body once more. He was no fool, he knew exactly what this was, Erik was testing his loyalty. If he ran he would be re-captured and drugged until he learned his lesson so instead he sat and formulated a plan, the room in which he was kept had been improved dramatically; no longer a basic bed and toilette the room was now equipped with a small bookshelf, a lamp, a computer, an armoire, a vanity mirror and a medicine cabinet full of the expensive beauty products John had once loved. Moving to the bookshelf he took out a copy of Antony and Cleopatra and pretended to read, forcing his eyes to keep moving across the page in some vague semblance of the activity he once loved. He drew a mental list of the ingredients he would need to escape. Stage one: stop being drugged. When attempting a daring escape, it is imperative to be in full control of one's actions. Stage two: gain access to sedatives. Equally important is to lull his captors into a false sense of security by offering his 'services' before drugging them in order to leave the compound. Stage three: be in possession of several bottles of vintage champagne. Magneto could never resist the drink, and Sabertooth could never resist John. Perfect cover for the pills. Mystique may be a problem, but if needs be he could just burn her. Step four: Invite Magneto, Mystique and Sabertooth for a foursome, disgusting as it now appeared to John there was a time it was commonplace amongst the brotherhood. Stage five: steal their key-cards. The brotherhood lived and died by them, having an upper level access card gained you clearance for the brotherhood computer systems and litany of bank accounts. Gaining one of these is the crux of his plan, once sedated he would swipe the key-cards from their persons and have a very small window of time to escape. The four of them used to be the only ones with upper level clearance so taking their cards would prevent anyone stopping the final stages of his plan. Once safe, he would go to the nearest bank and transfer the entirety of the Brotherhood funds into his own personal offshore bank account; after that he would sneak into the X mansion and wake Hank McCoy. Together, the computer genius and he would hack the brotherhood's systems and using the correct codes destroy their online databases and cripple the brotherhood past the point of no return. Sounds easy, right? He'd have to lay it on thick and play the part of the good little whore until he had the necessary ingredients to execute his plan but all in all it seemed doable. Stages two and three It seems could be completed whilst stage one was being cemented but all in all it was a good plan, a little 007ish perhaps but hey, the greater the risk the greater the reward. And his reward was freedom.

As it turned out, John had quite a following and had been provided with a diary to schedule his own appointments. Magneto was every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12:00-2:00. He was still an amazing fuck, but John felt slightly guilty enjoying the man's touch when he was a prisoner. Perhaps a mild case of Stockholm syndrome. So much face time with the decision maker worked in John's favour and he played his part perfectly, whispering the words Erik wanted to hear the drugging's stopped almost immediately and John started receiving gifts from the man. At first, it was only little things like condom's and lube (Erik had a change of heart; it seemed he wanted his whore clean and tight.) He was moved into a nicer room, one with windows and an en-suit bathroom closer to the leader's own personal chambers. John booked Sabertooth in every Wednesday and Friday directly after Erik, it was better to take him when he was already stretched and lubed up; the man was an animal afterall. He had, at first been a little pissed that John had burned him into a pile of molten flesh but a few choice words and several blowjob's later he was back to telling John how much he had missed him. Mystique was the most challenging of the three, never one to use his 'services,' John was spurred into action and invited her down to his cell for lunch; ever the socialite she agreed and the two spent one of John's free afternoon's chatting. All said and done he had missed her, she was funny, articulate and brassy. Having hinted at several points during their 'chat' that she was entirely fed up with the brotherhood operations and that failures in key missions had of late been due to magneto's lack of vision or direction. John wasn't entirely surprised therefore when he found a notetucked inside his pocket later that night which read:

"_I know what you're planning, and when the time comes I won't stop you. I can't be seen to help you for obvious reasons but in return for not blowing the whistle on your ass I expect a place by your side and amnesty from your fiery wrath. –M."_

John smirked at the last few words and set the paper on fire, he hadn't been given a lighter yet so was forced to practise his fire creation skills… they were improving. Secretly glad he wouldn't have to open up a can of 'whoop-ass' on his shapeshifter ally he laid back and watched as stages two and three of his plan fell into place; he had offered 'free services' two a particularly dense members of the brotherhood in exchange for favours of those with access to the outside world. Asking one to acquire him a case of vintage Champagne using the money he'd earned from whoring, the other a strong sedative as he liked John limp beneath him whilst he pounded away into his body. John had to test the drugs once they were brought to him and found that they were indeed better than he could have ever hoped for. An advanced form of Ketamine, the drug not only prevented control of one's limbs but in high enough doses induced a temporary comatose state populated with vivid hallucinations. Perfect for John's plan. Overly keen on pillow talk, the man he had tricked into buying him champagne also been feeding him various pieces of information regarding the outside world. Apparently, one of the X-men had developed a death wish and was systematically beating his way through the Brotherhood's followers; plans were being put into place to end the troublemaker. It was then that John allowed himself, only for a second, to think about Pete. He would like to think that the Russian was the mutant the rumours were referring to, however he suspected otherwise. It could just as easily be Logan with yet another axe to grind, Dazzler after a weekend on the town or even Jubilee if someone had pissed her off enough. Besides, no-one had come to rescue him yet and with the most powerful telepaths in the world on their side, you think someone would have tried by now. Sighing away his frustrations he returned his attentions to the mutant beside him, brotherhood or not he was a nice guy and unlike the rest of his clients he was gentle; he took his time with John, trying to wash away the pain of his other clients. He was slightly stupid but kind and John appreciated that.

"Hey, Pyro?" he murmured tracing circles on the other man's arm and pressing up behind him.

"Yeah?"

"When this is all over… well when you're allowed to leave this fucking room do you maybe wanna go on a date?" John smirked,

"Player's don't date Tricks, Dave. And besides, you deserve better than me. I'm no good in a relationship." Behind him, Dave laughed and kissed his neck

"Tell me about him,"

"About who?"

"The guy you're waiting for." John sighed,

"It's not worth talking about; he's probably having a jolly fucking time with some other twink as we speak." Dave snorted,

"Somehow I don't think anyone who's been with you would move on so easily." John exhaled and flipped over to face his friend,

"I know he's probably miserable and blaming himself for everything that happened but the chances of me seeing him again are slim to none… it helps if I pretend he's done with me, means I don't spend all my time weaping over him." Dave reached out a hand and stroked John's cheek,

"I like you, John. Even if it doesn't go any further I'd like it if we could be friends, would you be ok with that?" Blushing slightly, he nodded.

"You're a good guy, Davey… Slightly stupid but you're sweet." Dave snorted, "That's why I don't understand your reasons for you coming here. You could get any guy you want, why do you come to me? You're better than this, better than all of this. The brotherhood are just a bunch of jumped up thugs who keep order through fear, why do you stay here when there's so much more you could be doing on the outside?"

"Truth be told, there's little out there for a guy like me to do," He said moving his hand to rest on John's hip; "I'd rather be working and doing some good in the world but opportunities for registered mutants are slim pickings. I'm a qualified gym teacher, you know?"

"So if I gave you a place to go where you could teach and be a mutant you'd be up for that?" Nodding, David pulled John closer and rolled him over so that he was resting his head on the other man's chest.

"Yeah, babes I'd be up for that."

"And you'd leave; get away from here as soon as possible?"

"Trying to get rid of me, pretty boy?" John rolled his eyes,

"I mean it, David. You need to get away from here before you do some serious damage to yourself or end up on some most wanted list, I swear if I hadn't had some major dirt on a certain senator I would still be a wanted man. Please David; leave before you do something you'll regret." He sighed and kissed John's head,

"I like it when you're like this, when you're John instead of Pyro. I'll leave if you think it's for the best but at least tell me where I'm supposed to go." John got off the bed and padded over to his desk, withdrawing a piece of paper and a pen he scrawled the address of the X-mansion and handed it to his friend.

"Go here, they're good people and will keep you safe. Don't tell anyone where you're going, just leave as soon as possible. Please, Dave out of everyone here you're the only one who treats me like an actual person instead of a sex toy; it would be great if you were safe." he smiled and hopped out of bed,

"Jesus John, I've only known you for a few months and I'm trusting you to re-arrange my life for me, why are you doing this?"

"It's been just over a year, actually. And it's because you don't belong here! The only reason you've stuck around is because you were down on your luck and had nowhere else to go. You're not a terrorist or a mutant supremacist; I mean you've never even been on an actual mission have you?" He shook his head, "You need somewhere to go where the police won't be all over your ass when you finish… this is the place." David nodded,

"Ok, John. I trust you."

"Awesome, now I need you to do me a favour. When you get there you need to demand to see Dr Hank McCoy, when you see him give him this note and tell him what has become of me. Make sure he tells no-one else, and I mean no-one OK?" He nodded and John scrawled a note, "Please don't read this, just deliver it. If anyone but Hank asks you're a gym teacher who has been forced out of work because you're a mutant, they should give you a job; or at least a room. Shaving a fist full of twenties into his hand he cast around to make sure they weren't being overheard. "One last thing, I need you to being me some gasoline and a zippo." Dave raised an eyebrow,

"John, I…"

"Do you think I like being a whore? Not everyone here is a gentle or as nice as you. Getting fucked three ways from Sunday sometimes over twenty times a day is not what I want to be doing with my life, please Dave." He nodded,

"I do this, and then I'm gone." John exhaled a breath of relief, in total honesty he couldn't give a crap about Dave other than using him to further his own plan; he was a nice guy and a lighter and gasoline would cause an amazing distraction during which he could escape. Life, Pyro mused, is all about using people the best way you can and getting maximum output for minimum input. What's a few fucks and information on a safe-house when the result could mean his freedom?

"Good." Dave took a lighter from his pocket and threw it towards John,

"What kind of gasoline?"

"Anything flammable, I don't care if its bleach just something that will set on fire." Dave nodded,

"I have a bottle of cheap vodka in my room that'll burn like a bitch and won't be as obvious of a tin of gasoline, otherwise I could get you a small bottle of turpentine?" John raised an eyebrow,

"How much vodka?"

"Half a bottle,"

"Great, Pour some of the turps into the vodka bottle and then bring it to me. I have ten minutes until my next client gets here, so if you could hurry up that would be great…"

"So demanding, John" He laughed and walked out of the room, only to return several minutes later with a bottle of Vodka that was indeed very cheap. Hugging John, he stepped back and lowered his gaze,

"So this is it?"

"It would seem that way. Remember what I said, Hank and no-one else OK?" Handing David the note, John felt a tinge of pride for his own skills; he was surprised at how easy it had been to not only turn Dave away from the Brotherhood, but to get a note to Hank… The God's must be conspiring in his favour.

"Good luck, John."

"You too, David." He hugged the man before stepping away, "One last thing." Dave cocked an eyebrow, "When you get there hands off the Russian guy; he's mine."

"Deal. Goodbye."

"Goodbye." And with that, John was one step closer to escape… He felt slightly bad about using Dave for his own needs but it would all work out in the end, and besides all is fair in love and war. John had declared war on the brotherhood and wouldn't rest until their entire operation was in ashes… it was time to begin the final stages of his plan. Over a year he had been a prisoner and dead or alive, he refused to make it two.

If John was correct, and he usually was about such things, Mystique would take the invitation to join himself, Magneto and Sabertooth for some "fun" would trigger the woman's overly keen survival instincts and she would come ready for action. Ever since she was abandoned by the brotherhood the first time she had taken to carrying a small body satchel with several fake passports and identifications for the various bank accounts she had stored throughout the world; if she brought the pouch John could continue with his plan, if not then he either would have to wait or leave with mystique but without a way to get her out of the country… he hoped he was right. As it transpired, he was right and Mystique strutted into his cell ten minutes early, wearing her pouch and pistols. Outwardly, that was nothing out of the ordinary but John could detect small changes in her mannerisms; she knew what was going on.

"Raven."

"John."

"Glad you could make it,"

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." A grin split across her face as she took a seat at John's desk. Grinning, the man moved to the spot he had hidden the champagne and drugs. He had put the gasoline and lighter in his desk drawer to make for an easier escape but the other items were stashed under his bed, he had also at some point acquired four champagne flutes and as such was in the process of pouring the drinks.

"Champagne, John? Jesus, anyone would think you were making an effort."

"Erik's favourite," he said dropping the pills into all four glasses so some didn't look more fizzy than others, "Word of advice Ray?" He handed her the flute, "Don't drink… It's bad for your skin." Raising an eyebrow, she poured some of her drink into the plant on John's desk before setting down the drink.

"It's all about illusion, Darling." John did the same thing,

"You're sure about this?" She nodded,

"Where are our other guests?" Raven shrugged,

"They'll be here. You know they could never resist you John; it's your fiery wrath."

"I do hope we're not late," Came a voice from the doorway, John froze.

"Erik, Sabertooth, nice of you to join us." Said Mystique raising from her seat, glass in hand.

"Can I offer you a drink?" Magneto frowned,

"And where may I ask did you acquire champagne and glasses?" John smirked in a way he knew would make the other men Jelly in his hands,

"I know that this particular brand is your favourite, so I went through the trouble of getting it for our little get-together." Placing a flute in their hands he led them over to the bed before turning to Mystique. "Why don't we get started whilst the fella's enjoy their drinks?" John walked over to Raven who smirked and pulled him close, "count to ten" he whispered as the other men clinked their glasses and proceeded to neck their drinks eager to get involved in the night's activities. John didn't even have to kiss mystique, he simply coughed and she sunk to the floor in a similar fashion to the drugged mutants; it was a total show of course, but due to her unique cellular make-up, Raven could make up some excuse as to why the drug wore off easily and she could make her escape. John waited until his captors were out cold before nudging Ray, "Get up. Come on, MOVE!" She stood before making for the exit,

"Where are we going?" John divulged the two drugged mutants of their key cards before grabbing the bottle of vodka and running out of the room, "Garage, now!" Arriving on the sublevel of the brotherhood complex they both hopped on a Harley and rode to the exit, John uncorked the bottle and poured it along the entrance way; flicking his lighter he parked up with Mystique several yards away from the perimeter and formed a fireball.

"You ready?" He nodded and threw the ball into the liquid which lit up like a Christmas tree; he spread the flames through each section of the garage making sure to ignite the petrol tank of every vehicle. Once the fire was large enough he made it rise, fanned the flames until they covered every square inch of the compound effectively destroying everything in its path. It was exhausting. John could feel his energy begin to waver but he couldn't falter, he knew that if he were to ever destroy the brotherhood it had to be now. So he continued, he became the fire, he could feel it spread throughout the complex hell he could practically see through its eyes. It wasn't until mystique dragged him away and hauled him onto the back of her bike did he realise what he had done, the complex was in ruins. Black cinders and charred remains of a once massive structure still stood flaming, "John, we have to move, NOW!" She punched the ignition and sped off as fast as the engine would take them.


	14. The Aftermath

_Hey guys! This will be the second to last chapter of this fic- A long time coming, right? Still haven't decided if it should be a happy or sad ending, so let me know what you think and we'll go HAM on this last chapter! _  
><em>-HLW.<br>_

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><p>The bank part of the job was easy, all mystique had to do was morph into magneto, enter the bank and transfer the finds using the key cards; there was of course a retina scan but that mattered not with mystique's powers. After that, there was a short but slightly emotional goodbye between the two mutants- Raven was to leave for the island of Thasos and not return until John came to find her; for his part, John was to go to Hank and erase the databases… But he couldn't go in. The X mansion lay before him and if he could just pluck up the fucking courage he could waltz in there and destroy the brotherhood once and for all- but all he could think of was Pete. During his long ass stay at the brotherhood compound which Magneto had made sure to sully John's mind with all types of 'home truths' he just didn't want to hear. It would appear the Pete had forgotten all about John and given up on him completely- brotherhood spies had captured images of him cuddling up to Wolverine at night and kissing him during the day, also reports of the X-Men beating brotherhood mutants to find information on John had fizzled away after the first month and a half. There was no way he could look at Pete, not now. Not after all the promises he'd made and certainly not after his precious X-Men had left him to rot in the brotherhood. He'd tried so hard not to hope, not to expect Pete to come barrelling through the walls at any moment but got damnit he had. He couldn't help it. The pictures were possibly the most soul crushing thing John had ever witnessed in his entire life- which is why he had ensured to save them when he left the brotherhood; removing one from his pocket he felt his heart constrict at the image of Wolverine sharing a kiss with Pete… His Pete. No, not his Pete anymore, not now. Was the man still living in his apartment? Was he fucking Logan in his bed? Were my books ever published? John made a mental note to check the latter and steeled his emotions- he had to be Pyro now, not John. John couldn't handle this. Tucking the picture back into his pocket, the mutant entered the perimeter gates and set his sights on Hank McCoy.<p>

Finding Hank was easier than expected, not only that but Pyro managed to do so without entering the main campus building. Success. Climbing the trellis beneath the blue man's window John wasn't about to waste any time with courtesy and in a rush; reaching the top John simply smashed his way through the window. Once inside, he performed a quick series of well-placed combative strikes on a stunned Hank to incapacitate the older man,

"Listen up, blue balls I always kinda liked you and that's why I 'aint killed you yet. That and the fact that you're gonna help me, and you're gonna go it without making any loud noises. If you don't then this pretty blue hair of your and this pretty blue face of yours is gonna end up nothing more than molten flesh and ash; ya dig?" Hank nodded and Pyro released him from the death grip. "We're going to go to your computer lab and we're going to do it without being seen, which means out the window." He nodded his head in the direction of the window and Hank jumped down, landing perfectly on his feet and John followed. The two walked in silence to the exterior of Hanks computer lab and John once again broke the window to get in; he could feel the other man's eyes examining him, probing him. "Unless you've suddenly developed psychic powers stop looking at me." Entering the room he walked over to Hank's computer and told him to log on, once connected he accessed the brotherhood databases using the store links he remembered from his original stay. Hank's eyes widened,

"What on Earth?"

"Brotherhood database. This is everything they have but you need these access cards to gain entry to the classified sections," he handed hank they key cards. "I want it destroyed. Every last part of it and I don't just mean deleted I mean some kind of super-virus mega wipe. I trust that won't be an issue?"

"John, this is…"

"We don't talk. You just do." Hank got to work uploading a virus and John took a seat next to him, they sat in silence until Hank stood up about two hours later.

"The virus has been uploaded. You can watch for yourself as the filed are erased." John studied the computer, it appeared that the filed on the brotherhood mainboard were being erased, but… an external hard drive flashed green on the desk before him- the files weren't being erased, well they were being removed from the brotherhood but saved for the X-Men. The hard drive stopped flashing and the brotherhood files were emptied.

"I didn't get this information just so it could be used by you," said John yanking the hard drive from the computer and setting it on fire. Hank looked mildly irritated, but not surprised- only an amateur would have fallen for that ruse. Grabbing the key cards and throwing them onto the burning pile he turned to leave,

"Wait, John. About Pete,"

"Don't talk to me about Pete. The brotherhood has been burnt to the ground and I'm hoping Magneto along with it."

"It was so hard for him; you have no idea what he's been through."

"What he's been through?" John could barely believe the audacity of the man before him, could be not see how beaten John was? Could he not see the purple bruises around his throat from being repeatedly choked, the deep bags under his eyes, the patch of hair that was pulled so hard it was ripped from his scalp? Could he not see that this was Pyro standing in front of him and not John? "So, you want as play by play of my life for the last year and a half? I was beaten, drugged and raped daily. I was kept as the brotherhoods resident whore who was given as a present to the mutants who did good and completed their missions. I was spaced-out so much in the first few months I couldn't even stand; I would just wake up being screwed or being throat fucked by some thug's dirty prick. You see this?" He pointed to the bruises on his throat, "this is from being strangled and choked by every mutant who liked it rough, and this thin patch of hair at the back of my head is from my hair being pulled every time I tried to say no and this…" he lifted up his shirt to reveal a still healing scar dunning down his left side, "this is from some motherfucking douchebag who could only get it up when I bled. You still think Pete's had it bad sitting on his ass in a mansion and spooning with wolverine?" Hank just stared at him,

"John, I… I had no idea."

"Well you wouldn't, would you? You gave up on me. You all gave up on me and that includes Pete. That's just a decision he's going to have to live with… But I'm sure Logan made that choice one hell of a lot easier. I don't care what you do with this information but as far as I'm concerned the brotherhood's gone and you're all dead to me. You come looking for me and I'll kill you on sight." And with that, John was climbing out of the window once more and making his way over to his old apartment.

Hank didn't sleep a wink that night; he couldn't. Not with the guilt of what they had done to John. The fact that they had just left him in a brotherhood prison for over a year when the easily could have helped was still playing on his conscience the next morning when called a meeting of the X-Men.

"What's with the class meeting?" Asked Bobby sitting down next to Psylocke and handing her a cup of coffee, "Something world endy happened again?" Hank shook his head,

"I had a visitor last night,"

"Awh Hank you finally got laid, well done buddy!" Several of the younger X-men laughed but the professor simply raised an eyebrow to shut him up. "Sorry."

"Yes, well the reason I called this meeting is because my visitor claimed that he had destroyed the brotherhood, in fact given the amount of damage we did to their data files and what he told me with regards to well, burning their base to the ground I believe he may have been telling the truth. I even took the liberty of hacking into a government satellite and scanning known brotherhood hotspots for activity and a fire indeed tore down a massive complex just outside of San Francisco."

"That's great isn't it, I mean no more brotherhood… What's with the sour face?"

""My sour face, Bobby is to do with the identity of my informant. The person responsible for talking down the Brotherhood is John."

"John?" Bobby paled as did most of the other X-Men, most of them turned to look at Pete.

"Why are you all staring at me?" He asked totally oblivious to the significance of what he was just told, "And who's John?" Hank sighed,

"Psylocke, could you?" she nodded and placed a hand on Hank's head

"Betsy, if you're about to do what I think you're about to do…"

"Can it, Logan. We've talked it over with the professor before you got here and we all agree it's time he knew the truth."

"What are you…"

"Let me show you," a memory was pulled from Hank's mind and displayed in front of the team, it depicted John breaking into Hank's bedroom and leading him into the lab; the memory continued through the data wipe and Hank's attempted double cross until it culminated with Pyro's outburst about his treatment for the past year and a half; the room was silent until Pete spoke.

"...Why don't I remember?"


	15. The End

_O.K. So, this is it! The end guys. Sorry, it's a) taken so long and b) not what you're expecting. BUT! This isn't it from me- I have another story on the go, so yeah. Enjoy! HLW xx_

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><p>The room was silent, "I'll ask again, why don't I remember?" It was Storm who spoke first,<p>

"I wanted to tell you Pete, honestly I did but I was outvoted. The collective chose to keep you in the dark for your own safety."

"Collective, what collective? Since when have we done things by majority around here, and could someone please fill me in on what I can't remember!"

"You and John were in a relationship. That was, at least, until the brotherhood wanted him back- he said no and a fight broke out. You were almost killed by Mystique who had bullets with the ability to pierce your skin, she held a gun to your head and John offered to go with them as long as they didn't kill you. In return we promised to save him, a promise we failed to keep… But there's so much more to the story. You went insane after he was taken from you, you pummelled every brotherhood mutant you could find and the target on your back was growing..."

"So you brainwashed me?"

"So the professor blocked out your memories and removed all trace of John from your life. It was the only way to ensure that you didn't remember. Bobby and I were the largest objectors to this plan of action, but when it came to light that Bobby was the reason this entire thing happened to begin with I was left alone and outnumbered. I couldn't…"

"Hey, don't think that everyone was in on this Pete, I had no idea about any of this." Added Dazler, Warren and kitty quickly noted they were in the same position.

"So none of you thought it odd for me to get over the man I apparently loved in a matter of days and then hooked up with Wolverine?"

"Well to be honest Pete…" she added, trying to phrase her words as not to escalate the situation, "You weren't exactly the best boyfriend. At least with Logan, both of you were so fucked up that nothing was ever too serious; with John it was the opposite. You had the track record of a hurricane." Pete all but growled,

"I can't argue with you if I don't remember anything about him. Give me my memories back. Now." Pete's short sentences were indicative of his anger, he couldn't believe what these people had done to him, they had sat there and listened to him say about a thousand times that he felt like he was missing something, heard him complain of headaches and vivid dreams but still they said nothing. The professor recognised his defeat and put his fingers to his temples, sending his will forward in the process and tapping into Piotr's mind for what must have been the hundredth time since John disappeared. It was far easier to make people forget pain than love. He removed the blocks and watched as Pete's expression changed from one of steely resolve to one of desperation and anguish. Then all of a sudden Pete was furious as the memories came flooding back into his system; his anger grew and grew, the deceit, the lies, Logan, everything that would have once made him sad and insecure just made him angry.

The first indication of his anger was the fist he unceremoniously put through the wall, followed by the roar of anger that ripped from his throat. Almost everybody in the room jumped, they weren't used to seeing an angry Pete. It unnerved them. "What the fuck did you do?" this time, he was looking directly at the professor, "You knew damn well how much I loved him and you took him from me!"

"I did not take him from you, Pete, the Brotherhood did. I simply dulled the pain."

"No, you made me forget. You didn't just dull the pain you took it away, how was I supposed to get him back when I couldn't even remember who he was? And you," He turned to Storm "How could you let him do this to me?"

"I wanted to tell you, honestly Pete I did but I was outvoted. The professor, Hank, Wolverine, Betsy and Bobby all voted against me and…"

"You voted against her, Bobby? You chose to keep him away?"

"He didn't belong here," Was the somewhat mumbled reply.

"So what, if you couldn't have him no one could is that it?" He searched Bobby with his eyes, looking for something anything to try and understand why he would keep John in that godforsaken place.

"It was just too hard."

"You're a coward," he spat "and the rest of you are traitors. You call yourself heroes but you're lying to yourselves; at the end of the day you'd rather let an innocent man suffer than pull your finger out and help him,"

"John was far from innocent."

"Yes but he was trying! You all saw it, he tried so hard to be better, to be good, to make something of himself. And how was he rewarded? With deceit and betrayal. But perhaps it was my fault for bringing him back here and for trusting you people. Consider this my resignation," He slammed out of the room causing the door to collapse in on itself as he slammed it.

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><p>John pulled a cigarette from his pack and sparked a light, it was an old habit. He had quit smoking all together about three years ago but he didn't really see the point any more, if he wasn't going to drink he was certainly going to smoke. Besides, they were menthol slims… How bad could anything mint flavoured be? Walking back into work had been the one of the only good feelings he'd had in the past few days… Besides smoking and seeing his carnies again that is. Natrina, the girl on shift at Quake squealed when she saw him and practically tackled him to the ground so he couldn't leave again- Daniel, the other manager heard the commotion when he saw who had returned joined his co-workers on the floor. After that he had re-counted his kidnapping - he was told they had never even given his job away, so he could start tomorrow if he so wished but he declined. He wasn't staying. It was too dangerous. When the carnies saw him, they all cheered. Butch the Ferris wheel operator was perhaps the happiest to see him, which unfortunately for John meant wrapping him in a death drip and squeezing until he couldn't breathe anymore, "Kept things going, we 'av but it aint been the same 'ere withowt ya bud."<p>

"Thanks, butch."

"They got ya, didn't they?" John simply nodded, he'd told the Carnies that someday his past would come back to haunt him- either in the form of the government or the brotherhood. It just turned out to be the latter. "Fancy a ride? John nodded again and sat in the cart,

"Can I smoke up there?" Butch chuckled,

"I ain't about to tell ya no."

"Cheers, big guy. Ohh, and tell the rest of them I'll be around after the park closes with some food, how do you all feel about Thai?"

"Thai good. You cookin'?"

"Ha! Try take out. Just let me know what you want en mass and I'll bring it round to the mess hall, alright?"

"It's good to have you back, John." The wheel started moving and that's where John sat. Looking up over the San-Francisco skyline and thinking. He'd gone straight back to his apartment after his trip to the mansion. It turns out his cat had been left with the next door neighbour who seemed more than reluctant to give the animal back… Not that he minded all that much; in the end they decided to just let the feline wander as it pleased between the two apartments. She was an old woman and to be perfectly honest, she seemed to need to company. His apartment itself was dusty and his mail was piled up in the slot. It turned out his manuscripts had been sent to publication so many a cheque was to be found amongst the flyers for pizza and the credit card statements. His plants, however, were more than dead. Clearly, Pete had not bothered to come by. Why should he have? He had Logan now. John had cleaned the place before setting out for the day and popped by the local estate agents to list it to rent. He wasn't staying, but why should the property go to waste?

His bags were packed and lay waiting for his to return, he wasn't going to meet Mystique. She was on her own- he was going to England. He had a friend there who he could stay with whilst he got settled and his publishers had offices in London. He'd also made sure to call them to explain his situation. Overall, it had been a pretty productive couple of days. All that was left to do is say goodbye.

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><p>By the time Pete got to John's apartment, he was frantic. The man he sought could be anywhere- he could be on the other side of the world right now and Pete would have no idea. In his rush to leave the mansion however, he had neglected to take any of his belongings so without a key to actually get into John's apartment complex he was forced to break the door at the entrance and then again when he got to John's actual place… but it was empty. There were signs of life, however. The old and dead plants were in the trash, the place smelled like polish so had obviously been cleaned and there were suitcases by the door so hopefully he wasn't too late. The most logical thing to do would be to sit and wait for John to collect his cases, but Pete was through with waiting around. No more would he sit idly by whist everyone else made his decisions for him- John was the only one who never tried to manipulate him, who never lied to him and who… he couldn't think about that right now. He had to find John.<p>

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><p>It had only gotten colder, sat atop the Ferris-wheel. The park had closed early in honour of his return but John could barely bring himself to crack a smile, he was reviewing his options. Leaving for England was the most logical thing he could do, sticking around with a huge target on his back hardly sounded like fun, but he couldn't escape the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something was wrong; something about this whole experience didn't add up, how did Erik know where he was? How did he know about his relationship with Pete? Where was Pete? Why had he abandoned him? John ran his hands through his hair, this would get him nowhere. He was stuck in the past and for the sake of his own survival needed to move on. He had loved Pete with all of his heart but sometimes things just don't work out, sighing he signalled to be brought down and left for the mess hall. Dinner with the Carnies was amazing, he assured them that he'd stay in touch but it was simply too dangerous for him to stay in the States- they understood and sent him off him off in style, with fireworks. A procession of blue, yellow, green and red lit up the sky and for a moment John forgot everything that had happened to him, they started up the Ferris wheel again and from atop the lookout, John marvelled at the explosions in the night sky.<p>

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><p>"We're closed." Pete simply rose an eyebrow,<p>

"It's 7:30, how can you be closed?"

"Special occasion."

"Ohh yeah, what happened?"

"Friend of ours is leaving the country. Having a goodbye shindig for 'im. Now, I think it's best you get along and skedaddle, don't you?" Pete sighed, he didn't have time for this shit.

"Listen, I need to see John." The Carnie stiffened,

"Not on my watch." He clenched his fists and they turned into mallets, Pete simply rolled his eyes and punched him in the face- knocking him out cold.

"Amateur." There was only one place John could be, a firework exploded in the sky above him and Pete knew exactly where to go.

"John! John, quick- there's a man in the park and he's looking for you. You've gotta run!" Butch was yelling up to him from below, but he didn't care. Besides, if the man was running it meant it wasn't Magneto and anyone else he could handle.

"Let him come. Besides, if he's looking for me you probably couldn't stop him if you tried."

"John? John, is that you?" So word had gotten out about his little visit to the X-Mansion. How predictable. John remained silent. "You up there?"

"Go away, Pete. I don't want to fight you." There was no response, but the ifreworks stopped exploding in the sky. A few seconds later he heard the clanging of Pete climbing the wheel. "Please don't." the clanging continued, "I'm serious Pete, I don't want you anymore!" The clanging stopped.

"You… you don't want me anymore?"

"No, I don't and can you blame me?" John didn't hear anything after that but a few seconds later a very sour looking Pete slid into the seat next to him.

"I asked you not to come."

"I need to talk to you. Please, John just hear me out."

"You've got three minutes."

"Three minutes… I-"

"Two minutes, fifty seven seconds."

"John, I. Please, just look at me I want to explain what happened. Please." The other man sighed and finally looked at his former lover.

"How could you leave me?" His voice hitched in his throat, "Do you have any idea what you did to me?"

"John, I didn't leave you. It was the professor, he made me forget. He wiped my memories."

"Yeah, sure he did. The man who took you into his home, raised you and taught you all about morality wiped your memory and left me in a prison where I was raped and drugged several times a day. Yeah, real likely, Pete."

"But it's true!"

"Yeah, just like the time you told me you loved me? Look how that turned out. At least when I said it I was willing to face the consequences, willing to go to the ends of the earth and put myself in danger for you. All for you. And what did you do? You left me to die. How could I love someone who didn't care enough about me to…"

"That's bullshit and you know it! Don't you think if I remembered you I would have done everything in my power to save you?"

"Not with your tongue down Logan's throat. No." A strained silence settled over the men,

"About that,"

"You don't have to explain, you love him. If Logan is the man you would run to the moon and back for and the man you would brave any battle, face any foe to be with then go be with him. I've spent the last year of my life being fucked three ways from Friday by parasites with no love in their hearts and no-one to care about them. I had nothing, and if my life on the outside taught me anything it's that I deserve more than that. I actually deserve to be happy. All you've given me is pain and abandonment issues."

"There was also love," whispered Pete after taking a second to collect himself. He had half expected John to be glad to see him, but the hurt in the other man's eyes was clear. "I loved you so much that when you left I went insane. I took it upon myself to beat every single brotherhood mutant I could find into a bloody pulp but I couldn't find you!"

"You live with some of the most powerful mutants of this earth. Mutants who can move cities with their minds, mutants who can both destroy and save the earth from total annihilation and you're telling me that they couldn't take twenty minutes out of your time to find me?"

"It's not that easy."

"I think it is." John sighed. "You should go. I have a flight to catch in the morning and I have people too…"

"You can't leave me. Not again. Not now that I've found you."

"Pete, you were never looking for me." John's voice had grown softer throughout the course of the conversation, "Some things are meant to be, and given our track record we're not one of them." He signalled to the ground and the wheel began to move, "I loved you Pete, with all of my heart but we're not meant to be. One day you'll find someone, someone who you actually want to go to the ends of the earth for- and maybe it won't be so hard." The wheel stopped spinning and John raised the bar above their heads, stepping out of the cart.

"So that's it, you're just going to throw everything we had away?" Again there was more silence and John moved to stand close to Pete, so close it looked as though they were about to kiss.

"I didn't throw us away, you did. You did when you left me to die. But I don't blame you for what happened to me, you couldn't have known what they were doing. I love you, Pete. And I always will, but I can't be in a relationship right now- I have too many wounds. Too many scars, cuts, bruises and welts; I need to find happiness and I don't know if that can be with you anymore." He leant up and kissed Pete on the cheek. "Goodbye, Pete. This really is the end."

And with that John left, off to travel the world in search of true happiness and love. But love, like so many other things in life, is a fickle thing and some of us are simply not destined to find what we're truly looking for. Along the way, we may make some close friends and have a story or two to colour their days. Perhaps a flickering ember of passion may appear but once in a blue moon but John, like so many other people out there, would never find love. Never find what he was searching for, or that one person he could spend the rest of his life with. He would simply spend the rest of his days writing, living and teaching other how to be the people they were destined to be. And that's what this story is all about. You may never find love, I may never find love, but if in the space of a lifetime you manage to inspire one person, to help them along their journey or to see things they would otherwise miss then your purpose on this earth is complete. To help others is the greatest love that there is- a love for mankind. And John spent every single day doing everything he could to prove his love for for the people who touched his lide. And that my friends, is the best ending he could have ever hoped for.


End file.
